THE LIFE OF 

iliill 

ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 







Book >K^i^ 



Copyright If. 



COFYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



ONE OF 
GOD'S SAINTS 




SISTER SARAH 



Photograph taken in 1890, her last year at St. Michael and 
All Angels, Philadelphia 



THE LIFE OF 
ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 



NOTES BY THE WAY 

OR 

GLIMPSES OF A BUSY LIFE 

From MSS. of 

Sister Sarah 

(Sarah Maria Kirke) 
\) 

COMPILED AND EDITED 
BY A KINSMAN 

With an Introduction by 

The Reverend Harrison B. Wright 

Rector of S. Asaph's Church, Baia, Pa. 



Milwaukee 

The Young Churchman Co. 

London 

A. R. Mowbray & Co. 

1915 



v$ 



COPYKIGHT 

THE YOUNG CHURCHMAN CO. 
1015 



MAR 25 1915 

©CI.A398068 



CONTENTS 

Preface -------------- ix 

Introduction ------------ x i 

Early Life ------------ i 

Life in the World ---------- 17 

Takes Vows. Life as a Religious ----- 29 

Home of the Merciful Saviour, West Phila- 
delphia ---- 37 

House of St. Michael and All Angels, West 
Philadelphia ---------- 45 

House of St. Giles the Cripple ----- 66 

Elsewhere ------------- 91 

Christ Church Hospital -------- 101 

Personal Reminiscences -------- 130 

An Aftermath ----------- 153 

Postscript ------------- 173 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Sister Sarah -------- Frontispiece S 

The Brandywine --------- 36 y 

House of St. Michael and All Angels - 44- 45 • 
House of St. Giles the Cripple, 422 

Degraw St., Brooklyn ------ 68- 69 

House of St. Giles the Cripple, 419 Clin- 
ton St., Brooklyn -------- 78- 79^ 

Children of House of St. Giles the Crip- 
ple, Brooklyn --------- 82- 83^ 

St. Giles, Stoke Pogis ------- 90 

Sister Sarah, Aet. 83 ------- 104-105 

Melrose Abbey ---------- 152 

Fac-simile of "The Cripples' Hope" - - 166-167 
Fac-simile of Signatures to "The Crip- 
ples' Hope" --------- 166-167 

St. Giles-in-the-Fields, Garden City, L. I., 

showing- the Wayside Cross - - - - 168-169 

St. Giles-in-the-Fields, with its herd of 

cows ------------ 170-171 / 



OF YOUR CHARITY 
GIVE THANKS FOR THE SOUL OF 

SARAH MARIA KIRKE 

on whose soul, 

Jesus have mercy, 

Jesus have mercy! Amen. 

Remember the charity of the poor, forever. 

A.D., 1913 



PREFACE 

Soon after the retirement of Sister Sarah into 
Christ Church Hospital, Philadelphia, when ap- 
proaching- her eightieth year, friends, both clerical 
and lay, residing in that city and its suburbs, who 
had known and encouraged her in the special work 
she had conducted in those parts, urged her to put 
in writing the events of her life, that they might go 
into permanent form. Several years previously, 
when resident in Brooklyn, a near relative, the Rev. 
John W. Shackelford, D.D., for many years rector 
of the Church of the Redeemer, ]S T ew York, had 
urged the act. 

After great hesitation she wrote out much that 
is given in the following pages, and placing it, with 
parts of a fragmentary journal and diary kept at 
one time, in the hands of a kinsman, left it to his 
discretion to use, or not, as might be deemed best. 
It was thought best to permit it to remain in repose 
during her lifetime. Since her death in February, 
acting under advice, it has been written out with en- 
tire regard to facts, the excerpts being largely a 
verbatim copy, yet with revision to make it more 
clear and concise, the other portions being intro- 
duced to round out fully the narrative, in which let- 
ters, and printed and other records have assisted. 
The MSS. will prove all statements that are, per- 
force, unusual, and will be available if at any time 
failed in question. 

A brief statement may here be inserted, that the 
reader may understand the underhung richness of 



x PREFACE 

grace with which God in His goodness had endowed 
her soul. In all the deeds of life, she never "passed 
by on the other side." She believed in the individu- 
ality of the will, training her wards in the fear of 
God "to do duty in that state of life unto which it 
shall please God to call" such. This individualism 
in the life of each child was rigidly preserved. The 
numbering or tagging of children customary in some 
institutions she never tolerated with those that 
came under her protection. She sought to have each 
healed, trained in mind, and in a faith that was 
true, and she taught industrious habits as far as 
practicable. To the end there was nothing in her 
life that suggested even the appearance of idleness. 

It is well also to give in these pages, as they 
arose, a version of circumstances that may be con- 
sidered unusual in such a life. Others were respon- 
sible for her not ending her days in either one of 
the steps of duty taken or the institutions of which 
she laid the foundations. She never sought to give 
up responsibilities until her further administration 
was made impossible. 

Should this labor of love realize any surplus 
beyond the cost of publication, the excess, as would 
have been her wish, will go to aid the House of St. 
Michael and All Angels, Philadelphia, and the House 
of St. Giles the Cripple, Brooklyn. And now that 
the requests made by her have been complied with, 
it remains for her friends to cause this result to be- 
come practical. 

(It is here but just to say, that to two friends 
of St. Giles we are under great obligations for the 
"copy" for this volume most kindly typewritten for 
the printer, thus saving a not inconsiderable sum in 
the cost of publication.) 



INTRODUCTION 

This little book is a memorial of, and a testi- 
mony to, one of God's saints, who lived not in the 
mediaeval days, but in these days of the twentieth 
century, when much of human life is characterized 
by its sheer materialism. However, as one reads 
over what is told herein, both by way of autobiog- 
raphy and biography, he cannot but be convinced 
that the days of the Martyrs are not a thing of the 
past; nor are the days gone in which men and wo- 
men, for faith, are willing to offer to their God the 
very all of their human life. 

It was my good fortune, as rector of the Church 
of St. Asaph, to come in touch with this consecrated 
life, when Sister Sarah, retired from her active 
labours, was passing her latter years in "Christ 
Church Hospital" near Bala, a home for aged gen- 
tlewomen. The Home was about three quarters of 
a mile from the parish church, the only way of ap- 
proach to the latter being across an open golf 
course, over which the cold winds blew furiously in 
winter. How many have spoken to me about the 
slim figure in conventual garb, facing all storms, all 
heat, winters and summers, coming along briskly, 
in spite of her years, to each religious office at the 
parish church, whatever it happened to be! 

I grew to love the companionship in worship of 
this lofty-minded soul ; and her presence was an in- 
spiration, to say nothing of the few moments spent. 



xii INTRODUCTION 

almost invariably, after each office with her, when 
a light tap at my study door would announce her 
short visit, to talk over things of God and the 
Church, and charity, and scripture, and love; and, 
not least of all, to reveal to me the mysterious won- 
ders of spiritual self-surrender dwelling within the 
ascetic-appearing figure. Indeed, her presence was 
an inspiration to all; and I could not even attempt 
to give an idea of what the religious power of her 
personality was to the other members of the parish. 
There was something in her attitude of awe and rev- 
erence at the Holy Eucharist which was compelling 
in its diffusion of Spiritual power. 

There were times when the infirmities of ad- 
vanced age would manifest themselves, and for days 
she would be confined to her room at the "Home." 
It was my privilege to minister the Blessed Sacra- 
ment at such times, and I shall never forget the 
words that passed between us as priest and wor- 
shipper. The dominant thought in my mind as I 
think of those occasions is that of one at perfect 
peace with the world, and in perfect contentment 
with her lot. She was vowed to poverty, chastity 
and obedience, and hesitatingly admitted at one 
time that she had an income of twenty dollars ($20) 
a year. What she used for herself I cannot imagine ; 
rather, I should say, I know it was nothing; but 
this is certain : that nothing for God's poor or God's 
work was asked for in the parish church, that a 
comparatively munificent gift of money was not 
made by her. However much the priest protested, 
knowing the conditions, yet a gentle smile would 
illumine the aged face, and the answer would be, 
"This is for the Lord and I must give it" ! 

Her last sickness was of long duration, but 



INTRODUCTION xiii 

marked throughout by the most saintly acceptance 
of just what God had placed upon her. Never a 
word of complaining", never a word of regret; rather 
it was the longing anticipation of one who only 
waited for the moment when she should see, face to 
face, the Master in whose service she had spent her 
life. There was no need of tears or of petition for 
recovery. The end for which she had looked and 
hoped was at hand ; and the greatest joy we had was 
the commendation of her undying soul to the care 
of her Lord. 

May our prayer be that the soul of her who was 
faithful unto death shall rest in peace. 

Harrison B. Wright. 

St. Asaph's Eectory, Bala, Pa. 

All Hallows, 1913. 



EARLY LIFE 

Sarah Maria Kirke was born at Wagon- 
town, Chester County, Pennsylvania, near the 
banks of the Brandy wine — a Colonial hamlet 
yet having a lingering existence — a few miles 
to the north of Coatesville, on February 19, 
1 s 2 T , a second daughter of William and Esther 
Wallace Kirke. On her paternal side she came 
from an English family of Staffordshire, her 
grandfather having been a horticulturist of 
some local prominence, of the parish of Holy 
Trinity, Hanley. The Kirke family were of 
the same lineage as the notorious Lieutenant- 
General Piercy Kirke who assisted in the sup- 
pression of Monmouth's rebellion, and perpe- 
trated the judicial massacre under the decrees 
of the infamous Judge Jeffreys ; afterwards 
transferring his fealty to William of Orange, 
being honoured by the King after the relief of 
Londonderry and capture of Waterford. The 
ancestry of her paternal grandmother was also 
English, of the Steele family of Taed Hall, 
Barthomlev, Cheshire, she havina; been a daus;h- 



2 THE LIFE OF 

ter of George Steele, the last owner of this seat, 
which had been in jDossession of the family for 
fully five centuries, passing by sale recently 
into the hands of the Marquis of Crewe, K.G., 
he becoming Lord of the Manor. Taed Hall 
is a building of great antiquity, showing evi- 
dences of serving as a fortress as well as a dwell- 
ing, one room indicating its use as a chapel, as 
customary in such houses of by-gone days. Both 
families inherited loyalty in their religion, for 
two of the Steeles were murdered in Barthomley 
Church in its defence during the Civil War, 
many generations of the family awaiting the 
resurrection morn in its churchyard. And here 
it may be of interest to add, that members of 
the Steele family of past days were admitted 
to holy orders in the Church of England, as 
also in our land. Of George Steele's descend- 
ants, two grandsons, a great-grandson, and two 
great-great-grandsons, entered the priesthood of 
the American Church and served it faithfully 
during the last century. In all this we see the 
predilections that came to the subject of our 
sketch, in the religious loyalty and courage that 
she inherited. Both the Kirke and Steele 
families came in company to America about 
1802. 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 3 

It must be remembered that in the first 
quarter of the past century, the southeast por- 
tion of Pennsylvania was but sparsely settled, 
the means of travelling very limited, for the 
stage coach of the period was deficient in com- 
fort or regularity, and the posting houses were 
located on bad roads and of primitive character. 
Farming, the prevailing occupation, required 
care and attention the year around, so that 
only the barest of privileges satisfied the in- 
habitants. Social intercourse was very limited. 
The Philadelphia & Columbia Railroad, the 
forerunner of the Pennsylvania Railroad, was 
not opened for service until during the thirties ; 
and the entire country of hill and dale made 
intercommunication both difficult and incon- 
venient. Churches were wide apart, and these 
people required a drive of a dozen miles or more 
over mere by-ways to attend the religious bi- 
monthly or weekly service in which they were 
reared. 

All this section had been almost entirely set- 
tled by English and Welsh members of the 
Church of England. The faith of some had 
been weakened by the skepticism of the Han- 
overian period, which, during the eighteenth 
century, sapped the spiritual life of the Eng- 



4 THE LIFE OF 

lish Church, although the faith and power of 
the Book of Common Prayer were strong in 
the hearts of the people. The English Society 
for the Propagation of the Gospel (that "ven- 
erable" and loyal Society known as the "S. 
P. G.") had done as much as was possible in 
planting churches of a crude type here and there 
to preserve the faith of the people. The par- 
ishes of St. Peter's, Great Valley; St. John's, 
New London township, and St. David's, Rad- 
nor, in Chester and Delaware counties — all 
founded early in the 18th century — were those 
that alone offered the consolations of Anglican 
religion to this community. Capital was wholly 
in the cities. The rural people lived largely for 
mere existence. Religious discipline had been 
lost. Can it be a surprise that these people, so 
largely unshepherded, fell into a lethargy that 
accounts for subsequent religious conditions 
which characterized many % It was, too, a wor- 
ship that has been facetiously called "the sacra- 
ment of preaching." Yet these parishes have, 
by the grace of God and labours of many faith- 
ful priests, been kept alive for better things. 
Amidst such surroundings it was that Sarah 
Maria Kirke was born, and the faith implanted 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 5 

by her ancestry, and inherent in her nature, 
grew, and in time asserted itself. 

Her grandfather and great-grandfather, 
after reaching this country, remained in the 
vicinity of White Marsh and Germantown, 
Pennsylvania, for a year or more, and then, in 
1804, took up land in East Fallowneld and 
West Bradford townships, to the south of the 
great valley of Chester county, the farms of the 
Kirke and Steele families adjoining. Here 
farming naturally became the vocation. The 
father of Sarah Maria Kirke adopted the same 
life, beginning to the north of the valley, half a 
dozen miles distant from that of his father. 
There he remained for several years, removing 
thence to the vicinity of Dilworthtown, south 
of West Chester and near to the historic ground 
of the Revolutionary battlefield of the Brandy- 
wine. Turning to the MS., referring to her 
early life, she says : 

"Here he leased a fine farm for a term 
of years. Before the leasehold expired, its 
owner died. The sons then desiring to 
obtain possession, my father good naturedly 
relinquished his claims, greatly to his incon- 
venience, and, as it proved, to his disadvan- 
tage. After spending some weeks vainly 



THE LIFE OF 

seeking a suitable farm to rent, lie purchased 
one in Bethel township, Delaware county, 
near Mason and Dixon's line. That portion 
not woodland, a small part, was well covered 
with sedge grass and running briars. A few 
fruit trees abounded, but the tract was desti- 
tute of any building save a miserable log 
house, small and in bad condition. Nothing 
could have been more dreary and discour- 
aging than the conditions that confronted 
my parents when entering upon their new 
possessions. The surrounding neighborhood 
was equally uninviting. Long stretches of 
woodland, extensive beds of rocky land and 
swamps were on every side. It was known 
as 'the land of blue rocks and witches'. The 
majority of dwellings, like our own, were 
miserable abodes. Many depended chiefly 
for support upon the sale of timber cut from 
their possessions. The roads at times were 
almost impassable. Schools — there were 
none worthy of the name. Some time after 
entering the neighborhood, I heard one of 
the oldest inhabitants tell my father, that he 
was the only one in the vicinity who sub- 
scribed to a periodical, either secular or 
religious ! The same person said, too, that 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 7 

there were many professed witches therea- 
bouts : and it was the general custom among 
the farmers to cut off a portion of the ear, 
or part of the tail, of every beast, to be 
burned, in order to be secure against the 
attacks of witches. If a beast died it was 
.supposed to have been bewitched and the 
carcass was invariably burned, that the one 
who had bewitched it might be made to 
suffer all the poor beast had suffered. One 
of our neighbours had a sick child. Believ- 
ing it to be bewitched a witch doctor was 
consulted, the father of the child being 
directed to bore a hole in the tree before his 
door, filling the hole made with quicksilver. 
If the tree died it was proof that the child 
was a subject of witchcraft. It did not, 
however." 

Such is a picture of the conditions of the 
lands bordering upon the Delaware river in the 
thirties, within twenty miles of the city of 
Philadelphia. As late as the fifties, when some 
advance socially and educationally had been 
made in the neighborhood, an anecdote can here 
be quoted to show the mind that possessed some 
of these people at that late date: 

A small place of worship in the neigh- 



8 THE LIFE OF 

borhood possessed a choir, which desired to 
improve the singing by the introduction of 
musical notes. Some of the members 
greatly opposed the step. One old man de- 
clared there must be some magic or witch- 
craft about those musical characters, for 
"How is it possible," he exclaimed, "to 
bring music out of those little black tadpoles 
wriggling their tails through the fence" ! 
How indeed did "gross darkness" cover these 

people, long to linger in their lives ! 
Sister Sarah says : 

"Soon after moving to Delaware county 
my eldest sister — a sweet girl — died 
(1839), age about 13. She was the most 
conscientious child I ever knew. When 
reading the Bible, as the name of Deity or 
the names or attributes of our Blessed Lord 
occurred, she would pause for a moment. 
Reverence for sacred names or things was 
with her, as with my father, instinctive. At 
the point of departure, she recited the Bene- 
dic, anima mea (Ps. ciii of the Daily Even- 
ing office)." 
Love for the daily offices of the Church 

seemed to be inherent with some of her family. 

Her paternal grandfather, an invalid for some 



ONE OF GOD'S SAIXTS 9 

years prior to his death, had never failed for 
many years of his life to recite every morning 
and evening the daily offices of the Prayer Book. 
Sister Sarah's mother died the following 
year, a kind and gentle person of Scotch descent, 
leaving five children, of whom Sarah was then 
the eldest, one being a delicate brother of three 
and a sister of two years. 

"A few days previous to her death, she 
commended these little ones especially to 
my care. Amid all the cares and anxieties 
that have come to me since quitting my 
early home, these charges have never been, 
a single day, absent from my mind. How 
dreary and lonely we all felt after mother's 
death ! It was like being left in a new and 
strange world, neither a friend nor relative 
within eighteen miles. Oivr devoted grand- 
mother frequently came to us; and my 
father's only sister, dearly loved by all of 
us, visited us for a week or two annually; 
but these delightful visits only seemed' to 
emphasize our loneliness; yet we were 
happy. My father was always bright and 
cheerful, although daily he toiled from early 
dawn until the late evening, improving the 
land, building, etc. His energy gave an 



10 THE LIFE OF 

impulse to his family, as well as his neigh- 
bours ; for the example was in time mani- 
fested about the homes of others. Almost 
from the time of my mother's death, which 
had recalled me from school to my home, 
he confided to me his cares and pecuniary 
responsibilities ; and in return he received 
my sympathy and earnest cooperation. My 
affection for him was beyond expression. 
To all of us he was the kindest and most 
indulgent of parents, and was always very 
patient and considerate. His sense of obser- 
vation was remarkable. 

"On winter evenings a few stumps were 
placed in the huge fireplace of our cottage, 
and soon the room would be flooded with 
the glow of heat and light, entirely eclipsing 
the tallow candle that had been lighted. 
About this fireside he instructed us ; and 
after our lessons were finished he would 
read to us from some book of travel or his- 
tory, of which he had a really fine collection. 
These long winter evenings were delightful 
beyond expression ; for apples and nuts, to 
be cracked by the younger children on the 
flagstones of the hearth, with srood home- 
made mince pic, allowed without stint, and 



ONE OF GOD'S SAIXTS 11 

regardless of consequences, gave us as child- 
ren an entertainment that was ever with us. 
It was the true, rural home life of those 
days. How well I remember one clear 
night, when the full moon flooded the win- 
dow with the brilliancy of her rays and the 
snow lay crisp upon the ground ! My father 
had come in and settled himself comfortably 
by the blazing fire, and my younger brother 
crept up to him saying, C I want a sled ride !' 
Immediately he arose, and, wrapping the 
child up, was soon circuiting the garden to 
the great delight of all who, in turn, awaited 
like enjoyment. 

"My father read God's Holy Word con- 
stantly and with reverence. On Sunday 
evenings the large family Bible was read 
aloud, the pictures illustrating the stories 
being eagerly looked at by all the children. 
These we loved to hear : and they became 
indelibly impressed upon our minds, awak- 
ening the deepest emotions. I have since 
often wondered at Protestant infatuation 
that led to the destruction of pictures and 
sacred symbols — a divine method of con- 
veying instruction from the earliest ages. 
I low beautifully symbolic and full of in- 



12 THE LIFE OF 

struction were the Tabernacle and its furni- 
ture and ornamentation, even in their 
minutest details, as were also the vestments 
of the priests and their embellishments. 
How clearly and beautifully in the Revela- 
tion of St. John is it revealed that the 
Church is founded upon the 'Apostles and 
prophets' by the twenty-four elders that 
circle around the heavenly throne, clad in 
white raiment and crowns of gold; and the 
twelve pearly gates opening into the celestial 
city, representing the patriarchal Church, 
and the twelve foundations of the heavenly 
Jerusalem bearing the names of the twelve 
Apostles ; and how beautifully is symbolized 
the glory of the early martyrs of the 
Church, as garnishing the foundations of 
the City. What a wealth of knowledge is 
wrapped up in the Revelation, or rather is 
expressed in symbolism ! So in the book of 
nature God has revealed the things that are 
not seen, but the things that are seen — " 
Here, by this humble fireside with the word 
of God, were laid the principles that in due time 
strengthened our friend in her knowledge of the 
character of worship that God commanded in 
the approach to Him, as, in His own time, the 



ONE OF GOD'S SAIXTS 13 

meaning of the prophecy of Malachi in Chap. 

T, II, was realized. It guided her in after life, 

as she instilled it in her charges. 

"As years passed our circumstances im- 
proved, and gradually the avenues to social 
enjoyment were reopened. The neighbour- 
hood continued to improve, but, for many 
years, some of the old conditions lingered. 
A few scattered families remained, only to 
profit at the expense of the greater prosper- 
ity of their neighbours : and these did not 
always confine their depredations to the 
poultry roosts and granaries. It was neces- 
sary for my father to be absent one night in 
each week. On one of these occasions a 
young woman of unprepossessing appear- 
ance applied for a night's lodging, the excuse 
being, of 'Having walked some miles, hav- 
ing been engaged by a neighbour as a house 
maid 1 . Most of the family regarded her 
with distrust, but as my father never 
refused the hospitality of his house to any 
one who claimed it, she was taken in. For 
greater security a bed was made up for her 
in my room. I had not fallen asleep when 
I heard the key turned in my door, some one 
of the family wishing to secure the woman 



14 THE LIFE OF 

iii the room. ]SText morning she departed. 
The same night of the following week, ahont 
midnight, a younger sister heard the kitchen 
window open. Slipping into a pair of my 
father's boots she ran downstairs with all 
the noise possible, just in time to see a man 
jump out of the window. It was afterwards 
learned that the woman we had entertained 
was of a neighboring family noted for its 
dishonesty. At another time while engaged 
at the dairy — the spring house being quar- 
ter of a mile away — a brother and younger 
sister came running to say, 'A robber in the 
house ! But we have him fastened up in 
the attic with . . . sitting against the door.' 
Returning to the house, all secured weapons 
such as were at hand and sallied upstairs, 
our dog at the head. We searched several 
rooms, but no one was found. At last it was 
discovered the intruder had decamped, 
making his escape by a rope hanging from 
the attic window. It is hard to say if we 
were more pleased than disappointed ; for 
while we dreaded an encounter, still we all 
desired to catch the man, not however con- 
sidering his- final disposition. For several 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 15 

years however we were subjected to petty 
thieving. 

"After we were all fairly well grown, I 
became desirous of accompanying a friend 
to California who intended opening a 
school. My father objected to this, saying 
that if I wanted to inaugurate a school, it 
could be clone at home. He enlarged the 
house — one he had built some years before 
— and the school was undertaken. But many 
obstacles unforeseen were encountered. 
Lack of experience and other circumstances 
made the undertaking impracticable, and it 
was given up, greatly to my father's satis- 
faction, however." 

It may be said here, that this was really the 
only one of her undertakings that did not, in 
a greater or less degree, prove successful. 

"My younger sister possessed an unusu- 
ally good mind, and was fond of reading 
and literary pursuits. To qualify herself 
she entered South Hadley (Mass.) School. 
Upon returning home she taught for several 
years ; but a preference for outdoor pursuits 
encouraged her, after her brother's mar- 
riage, to build herself a house, and indulge 



1G THE LIFE OF ONE OF GOD*S SAINTS 

a preference for horticultural and botanical 
studies. 

"My father passed away in 1869, and 
was interred in the churchyard of St. 
John's, Concord, Delaware county, to which 
parish we parochially belonged. I was con- 
firmed in that church under the rectorship 
of the Rev. John K. Murphy, a true pastor 
of his flock. 

"Soon after this bereavement I went to 
Reading, Berks county, and engaged in 
teaching in the public primary schools, tak- 
ing with me a young girl, a second cousin 
'once removed,' to bring up. 
And here it may well be mentioned that the 
training of this young person, given morally and 
religiously at the hands of her relative, has 
proved its worth in every respect, and has been 
inherited by her children. 




LIFE IN THE WORLD 

Before proceeding to this portion of the 
life and earlier work of Sarah Maria Kirke in 
the world, it is well to record an incident that 
proved, as it were, a turning point in its tide. 
She found herself in a parish in Reading which 
violently opposed anything tending towards that 
school of thought which recognizes symbolism 
and the Sacraments as essential features of 
Christian faith and worship. Suspicion, vio- 
lent opposition, and, in fact, persecution of those 
who felt the revival of the spiritual life, embit- 
tered the lives of many to the extent of depres- 
sion and discouragement. These were dark days 
to many souls. The roots were there, but tender 
were the shoots. In this situation, surrounded 
by many forms of negative religion, acquaint- 
ance was incidentally made with the priest of 
the largest Roman Catholic parish in that city. 
Keen, active, and clever in his faith, he acquired 
an influence that, by arguments, found a 
response in one unprepared to meet his subtle 



18 THE LIFE OF 

tactics. A relative, however, who had always 
been a sympathizer in the life and efforts of 
Sarah, about this time spent a week's end in 
that city, and many hours of conversation 
ensued. Without being aware of the impending 
situation, what this relative then presented to 
her of the Anglican case,- — as she after some 
years enlightened this relative, — kept her from 
reception into the Roman obedience. Thus, by 
a single statement made in the conversation, she 
was saved to the Church of her heritage, to do a 
remarkable work in coming years. 

Before leaving home and during her sojourn 
at Reading, she had imbibed opinions of a char- 
acter which would doubtless have led her into 
skepticism, but for the experience already told. 
The Church in all its varying conditions was 
suffering from a nightmare that affected all but 
those instructed properly in her real faith. 
Many were groping for the true light. 

We have seen from the foregoing how re- 
stricted had been the life of Sarah Maria Kirke, 
confined as it was to the primitive surroundings 
under which she had grown up, occasional visits 
to relatives some miles away being the only vari- 
ation from the daily routine of work. Yet, the 
development of her character and kindly in- 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 19 

stincts lay in those principles taught and incul- 
cated by example in her home. These virtues 
were inherited, based upon the teaching of the 
Church Catechism and the Prayer Book, both 
intimately relating to the Bible. The kernel 
was there; and, nourished and cultivated, how- 
ever crudely, in due time it blossomed into a 
tree that became a power for the wretched and 
helpless. 

"In September, IS 71, I opened a Sun- 
day School in one of the public school build- 
ings near Canal St., where the poor children 
of the neighborhood, eighty-six, were 
gathered in. Members of Christ Church 
gave a pretty good library. The use of a 
room on the river side near by was secured 
for religious services, conducted on Friday 
evenings by the Rev. John Long, rector of 
St. Barnabas. At the first, eighteen lads 
were present, the majority being 'roughs', 
who had spent most of their lives on canal 
boats. The larger portion could not read, 
and were as ignorant as heathen. Just when 
I was ready to despair of preserving order, 
a dirty, ragged, uncouth boy, his long un- 
combed hair overhanging his begrimed face, 
mounted a chair in the middle of the room 



20 THE LIFE OF 

and began to flourish a club. I said, 
'George, get down at once, and put that club 
away.' He promptly replied, 'I am going to 
stay here, and I am going to slash the brains 
out of the first fellow that makes a row.' 
The trouble terminated. After that, every 
evening George was in his place, club in 
hand; but, after our second service, he re- 
mained in his seat, although the club was 
kept close beside him. Six months later 
this faithful young militant and protector 
was drowned in the Schuylkill river. One 
Sunday I missed one of the boys, a regular 
attendant at the mission Sunday School. 
Upon inquiry I learned that his mother had 
had him imprisoned for stealing six cents. 
She said 'it was done as a warning to him.' 
After release from prison, this poor lad of 
ten years was so tormented by the boys of 
the neighborhood that he committed sui- 
cide." 

The foregoing is taken from an imperfect 
form of diary that was kept. 

"I have just received a letter from a 
clergyman in the far West, asking for help 
to establish a mission. It was urgent. 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 21 

What can I do ? My small salary as a 

teacher scarcely meets my expenses." 

But it had its effect, for under September 

she states: 

"For two months I have slept on a bench 
in my school room, and lived on graham 
mush, salted. I was thus enabled to send 
$30 to the missionary.'' 

"The Rev. J. Pinkney Hammond (for- 
merly of St. James the Less, Philadelphia), 
who then took charge of Christ Church, 
Reading, for the time, had introduced daily 
celebrations of the Holy Communion, and 
organized a vested choir of men and boys. 
These were unheard-of 'innovations', arous- 
ing opposition, and subjecting him to great 
abuse and misrepresentation. The Catholic 
truths that I learned from this faithful 
priest took deep hold upon me, and filled me 
with a burning desire to devote my whole 
being to the service of our Blessed Lord in 
the promotion of His kingdom." 

Later on she says : 

"For some months I have been under 
instruction by Mr. Hammond to become bet- 
ter qualified for Church work." 



22 THE LIFE OF 

Then it is recorded that Mr. Hammond had 
received and accepted a call to St. Barnabas', 
Omaha, Nebraska. 

"He was desirous that I should accom- 
pany him and his family to his new field in 
order to take up mission work in his parish, 
but I felt that I was lacking in the requisite 
qualifications to do so." 

Soon afterward she was received into resi- 
dence in the House of Mercy, New York City, 
by the Sisterhood or Community of St. Mary, 
where she underwent a course of preliminary 
training, and then at St. Mary's Free Hospital 
for children on West 34th St. for the work this 
order conducted. After some months, by the 
arrangement, she withdrew and proceeded, 
about July, 1872, to Omaha, to take up work 
at St. Barnabas' under its rector, who had in 
the meantime received the degree of Doctor in 
Divinity. 

"Reaching Omaha in the evening, I 
went to the house of Dr. Hammond, by 
arrangement to be my quarters at the outset. 
The town or city had but two churches of 
our Communion, the Cathedral so-called, 
containing the Cathedra ("seat") of the 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 23 

Bishop, a poor wooden building; and St. 
Barnabas', an offshoot of this, erected for 
those who desired a more dignified and 
Catholic worship with proper observance of 
holy seasons and days. St. Barnabas' had 
a daily celebration of the Holy Communion, 
and dailv Evensong. 

Ck Tn an exploration of the place, I ob- 
served a fine brick public school building, 
beautifully located on a bluff, and a sub- 
stantial structure for the post-office, the 
houses being small, two-story buildings of 
wood, detached, with yards in front shaded 
by Cottonwood trees. Standing at the head 
of the main street, the view is somewhat 
picturesque, the gables and chimneys peep- 
ing from among the trees." 
In January, 1873, the diary continues: 

"After several months, I have become 
pretty well acquainted. With the rector and 
his family, we have to 'rough' it a good deal, 
but I have learned to adapt myself thereto. 
During the early part of the day I teach 
the children of the parish in a small room 
adjacent to the Church, the afternoons being- 
spent in visiting from house to house. I 



24 THE LIFE OF 

have been kindly received by hundreds of 
families. I learn the population is already 
about 30,000. The people are generally 
poor, many being from New England and 
the larger Eastern cities, and have a hard 
struggle to earn a support. Children seem 
to swarm everywhere. Many are from Eng- 
land and Scotland, decoyed by Mormon 
proselyters, who, after discovering the char- 
acter of the community that had entrapped 
them, escaped from the homes assigned, and 
under great peril and hardships found their 
way here. Some are Spiritualists. Very 
few attend any religious service; even of 
such brought up as Christians, large fam- 
ilies, overwork and poverty being the excuse 
for the neglect. Our next neighbor, a fat 
little New Englander, on Monday mornings 
will be seen with sleeves rolled up, bending 
over the washtub, the perspiration streaming 
down his face. This is usually completed 
before going to work; for the wife, a frail 
little woman from Brooklyn, X. Y., ha* 
seven little boys to care for, about a year 
between each. Now they all have whooping 



cough. 



"We have impressive daily Lenten serv- 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 2o 

ices. The rector took his B.A. at the 
English University of Oxford. He came to 
this country to practise law. Failing to 
secure sufficient clients, reduced to poverty 
and then going West, he became a 'cow boy'. 
In course of time under changed conditions, 
he was admitted to Holy Orders. A fine 
Churchman and conversationalist." 
In those clays religious orders, or communi- 
ties, in the Anglo-Catholic Church were but in 
their infancy. The necessity for the aid of 
trained women under discipline was fully felt 
and recognized, and it found opportunity for 
the revival, in a way, of the primitive order of 
Deaconesses, under such conditions as Bishops 
here and there chose to create in a somewhat 
mild form, more or less. These, in more recent 
years, have assumed a more definite and pro- 
nounced form, approaching somewhat to the 
true Community life, which must in time, with 
growth, become definite religious orders for that 
sex, under irrevocable vows. Such in the past 
thirty years have so grown in England and her 
colonies, as to warrant the statement that there 
are now more women under the ancient vows 
than existed in the English Church previous to 



26 THE LIFE OF 

the revision of its Liturgy in 1549, or rather, 
before the dissolution of the religious houses. 
So the change to these orders is progressing in 
the United States. Our friend felt, from her 
brief life with St. Mary's Sisterhood in New 
York, the necessity of the vowed life. There 
was no opportunity for this in the Diocese, 
excepting under the conditions attached to the 
office of Deaconess. Bishop Clarkson, who then 
ruled the missionary jurisdiction of Nebraska, 
with his seat at Omaha, was a prelate of great 
piety and energy, but then without the knowl- 
edge of the new conditions coming to the 
Church, which developed further in his mind 
before death. Before consecration to his high 
office, he had been rector of St. James's, Chi- 
cago, the largest parish in that city, somewhat 
of the "high and dry" kind as known in that 
period, principally concentrated in the word 
"Episcopal". He worked indefatigably, plant- 
ing the Church everywhere in his diocese ; yet 
his mind had been so little in touch with the 
Catholic advance of the age, that he was inclined 
to be unsympathetic toward the development of 
the Sisterhood idea. Yet he recognized the ster- 
ling qualities in our friend, and, desiring her 
aid, endeavored to enlist her in the active work 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 27 

of his Held, both educational and hospital nurs- 
ing. To resume the diary : 

"The Bishop proposed to admit me to 
the office of Deaconess, to begin the forma- 
tion of such an order. I underwent an 
examination in his presence which was satis- 
factory. A day was then appointed when I 
was to present myself at the Pro-Cathedral 
— as it really was — to be publicly admitted 
by him. Before the date, however, he 
learned I was a member of the Confrater- 
nity of the Blessed Sacrament, a society for 
prayer recognizing the real presence in the 
Holy Sacrament. He immediately informed 
me I must relinquish my membership in it, 
for he could not accept any of its members 
for work in his diocese. I declined to 
accede to his request. I was to be assigned 
to the reopening to the Omaha Church Hos- 
pital, which had been closed for some time 
pending the finding of some one to take 
charge, and also through lack of funds. 

"He then desired me to join the staff of 
Brownell Hall, the diocesan school for 
young ladies, temporarily, in the absence of 
one of the staff through illness. I assented. 
While there the Bishop called and had a 



28 



THE LIFE OF OXE OF GOD'S SAINTS 



lengthy interview, renewing his wish for 
me to take charge of the hospital that he 
might reopen it, .though requiring under 
compliance with his wish that I withdraw 
from membership in the C. B. S. (as it was 
known). The good Bishop urged that, by 
withdrawing from the obnoxious confrater- 
nity, it would not necessarily involve the 
renunciation of the principles underlying 
that society ; I could not, however, see this 
from the Bishop's standpoint." 




TAKES VOWS. LIFE AS A RELIGIOUS 

''After my duties at Brownell Hall 
had terminated, I returned to St. Barnabas' 
rectory. As Dr. Hammond could see no 
prospect of agreement with the Bishop, and 
not wishing to continue in the work of the 
parish as a lay woman without official recog- 
nition, after consideration and due prepara- 
tion, in St. Barnabas' Church, Omaha, in 
the presence of the Rev. Father Field of the 
Order of St. John the Evangelist of Cow- 
ley St. John, Oxford, England, and Mr. 
Holmes, Senior Warden of the parish, at the 
hands of the Rev. J. Pinkney Hammond, 
D.D., priest, I made the ancient three-fold 
vows of the ages (of Poverty, Chastity, and 
Obedience)." 
To this the following is added: 

"I now dedicate myself wholly and unre- 
servedly to the service of our Blessed Lord 
in caring for His poor and His suffering and 
needv children. 



30 THE LIFE OF 

"O Lord of souls ! who liast chosen and 
called me to Thy service in the Church, all 
my trust is in Thee ; in Thee may all the 
springs of my life be. Abundantly give me 
Thy Blessed Spirit, without which nothing 
is holy, and use me as it shall please Thee 
for the glory of Thy Holy Name. Make my 
will patient, my conscience pure, my temper 
bright. Empty me of self, and fill me with 
Thy meekness and wisdom. Increase my 
faith, mellow my judgment, stir my zeal, 
enlarge my heart. Let my life enforce what 
my lips utter. Do Thou choose for me the 
work I do and the place in which to do it, 
the success I win and the harvest I reap. 
Preserve me from depression and from self- 
will, and make me faithful unto death. All 
this I ask for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen." 
No date or year is given to indicate the time 
of her profession, but from facts in mind it was 
about Eastertide, 1874. In August it con- 
tinues : 

"The weather is severely warm, the rec- 
tory small and much crowded. A neigh- 
bour has offered me a room in her house in 
which to sleep. The room is clean but, for 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 31 

some unaccountable cause, the atmosphere 
is so bad that it sickens me. Not wishing 
to crowd the family in the rectory, I wrap 
myself in a great shawl (though the days 
are hot, it becomes cool before midnight by 
breezes from the river), and creep out on 
the roof of a shed where I sleep fairly well. 
The rough condition of life here has become 
far less unpleasant than when I first came. 
Perhaps this mode of life is intended as a 
stepping stone to something more severe. I 
rather enjoy the work, and am much inter- 
ested in the people with whom I come in 
contact. To-day I visited an English fam- 
ily from Canada. The man, his wife and 
eight children intended to make Omaha 
their home. Soon after the children one 
after another contracted fever and died, 
excepting the baby. Those left are now 
preparing to return to Canada, broken down 
with grief. 

"After a time Dr. Hammond resigned, 
owing to the bad state of Mrs. Hammond's 
health. He is going to Maryland. I will 
return to Philadelphia." 

The Rev. J. K. Murphy had in the mean- 



32 THE LIFE OF 

time become Rector of St. Michael's, German- 
town, after resigning St. John's, Concord, 
and Calvary Church, Rockdale, Delaware 
comity. As Sister Sarah's pastor in early life, 
a deep friendship existed between them. At 
his desire, she engaged during the ensuing win- 
ter in nursing the sick, scarlet fever having been 
severely contagious. 

Nursing having been for a time a vocation, 
Sister Sarah went into training in the school 
for nurses, connected with the Woman's Hospi- 
tal of Philadelphia. 

In time an only aunt, well advanced in life, 
her father's sister, resident at Downingtown, 
was taken down with a lingering illness, which 
ended her life. Sister Sarah felt it to be a duty 
to go to her, nursing her for some months until 
the end. She says as to this : 

"It was a great privilege, for she had 
always been to me more than a mother. She 
was ever an example of cheerfulness and 
patient perseverance in whatever she under- 
took. Full of genuine kindness and loving 
devotion to all, she loved all, and was 
beloved. 

"During this lengthy sojourn at Down- 
ingtown, I was much impressed by the igno- 






ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 33 

ranee and degradation of the coloured 

people of the place. The lie v. 11. F. limes 
was then rector of St. James'. After con- 
sulting with him I secured the use of a 
small room near a negro settlement, begin- 
ning a Sunday School for coloured children. 
AYhen the room was no longer available, I 
made application for the use of St. James' 
Church for the purpose, but some of the 
congregation objected (it being a Spewed' 
church). I then applied to the vestry for 
permission to put up a room at the back of 
the church for this purpose. It was decided 
to be inexpedient, unless without expense to 
the Church, to cost not less than $800, 
with the reservation that it could be used 
also for general parochial purposes. There- 
upon I proposed to be responsible for half 
the sum, or $400, all that I possessed, the 
vestry becoming responsible for the remain- 
der of the sum ; this was agreed to. Some 
days after I spoke to the rector of writing 
to a friend, Miss Gorgas, upon the subject. 
Mr. Iunes undertook it, with the result that 
she sent, in all, $1,000. The vestry then 
inquired if I was still willing to give the 
sum I had promised, which of course T 



34 THE LIFE OF 

affirmed. I have yet to hear that the vestry 
kept its agreement, The Eev. Wm. M. Bull 
did send $25. The building was completed 
with two floors, the lower one for the Sun- 
day School, the upper one divided into two 
rooms for sewing classes and other parochial 
purposes. The lower one opened into the 
church, so that these people could be present 
and unite in the services. The school grew 
to eighty-six persons ranging from five to 
sixty years of age. A night school was 
opened with an attendance of seventeen, 
some of the older women availing them- 
selves of it. A sewing class for girls as well 
had a measure of success. On one of my 
visits among these people, I found a boy of 
eleven ill with typhoid fever, lying upon 
the floor of a small dark room without either 
bed or covering, although it was a cold 
November day, his only garment being a 
shirt without sleeves. He was delirious, 
with a high fever. Through the kindness 
of a friend, the child was made comfortable, 
properly clad, placed on a suitable bed and 
attended to. He recovered, and became a 
regular attendant of the Sunday School. It 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 35 

is difficult to benefit permanently these poor 
children, their home life is so degrading." 
With the death of her aunt, Sister Sarah 
returned to Germantown. After her departure 
a new incumbent took charge of St. James', who 
was apparently not interested in coloured people. 
The school was abandoned and the people, so 
ready for good example and influence, dispersed, 
in truth "excluded from the privileges of the 
Church," although it has been recently learned 
from its present rector, — at this writing, — that 
some of these coloured people remained and are 
now members of the congregation. It should 
also here be recorded that, soon after this epoch 
in the history of the parish, the church kept the 
fiftieth anniversary of its foundation; and a 
pamphlet, somewhat inflated, was published, 
which made no mention whatever of this col- 
oured undertaking, perhaps disereetly, although 
we know the congregation had no part in its 
veering statements. That this work among the 
coloured people should have ceased is somewhat 
remarkable, for in days 2:011 e by the anti-slaverv 
feeling of the neighbourhood was most pro- 
nounced, the interest in that downtrodden 
people being, probably, after all, merely senti- 
mental. 



36 



THE LIFE OF ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 



At this time the Bishop of Nebraska again 
comes in, for he had written the Rev. J. K. 
Murphy, renewing through him the request for 
Sister Sarah to go West and take charge of 
Omaha Hospital, provided she would relinquish 
her membership in the Confraternity. Could 
the Bishop have comprehended the character of 
Sister Sarah as others did, he would not have 
revived it. Needless to say, she did not under- 
take the work, much as she would have liked to. 




The Brandyiciiie 



HOME OF 

THE MERCIFUL SAVIOUR 

WEST PHILADELPHIA 

Resuming parochial nursing at St. 
Michael's Church, Germantown, Mrs. R. F. 
Innes, wife of the Rev. R. ~F. Innes, under 
whom the coloured work at Downingtown had 
been begun and prospered, became interested in 
the care of a coloured crippled boy, incurable, 
shut out on account of his age from institutions 
for children, and precluded from treatment in 
other hospitals, bringing the subject to the atten- 
tion of Sister Sarah, who proposed to open a 
house for such cases in memory of a child who 
had died under distressing circumstances while 
at St. James'. After consultation with the rec- 
tor of St. Michael's, an interview was had. The 
proposal to take charge was accepted by Sister 
Sarah, with the understanding that she should 
be free "to organize and conduct the same with- 
out control or interference." 



38 THE LIFE OF 

Sister Sarah says : 

"I was to be free from all responsi- 
bility, — that is, I was not to engage to as- 
sume any financial responsibility, although 
I expected and intended to promote the 
work under this head ; but I made a condi- 
tion that I was to 'have entire control of 
both the house and of the children, which 
Mrs. limes agreed to.' A house was rented 
on Osage Avenue, West Philadelphia, to 
begin this work for crippled children. It 
was out of repair, destitute of almost all 
modern improvements, and largely without 
furniture. The parlor room contained a 
sofa, stove, and one or two chairs, the dining 
room a table, and a chair or two. The kit- 
chen was destitute of everything. The bed- 
rooms were supplied with a bed for each 
intended member of the household. I was 
told it was a venture, and all unnecessary 
expenditures were to be avoided for a time. 
In connection with the title were the words, 
'In His Name'. I could not regard it as a 
venture. It was undertaken in full confi- 
dence of the Divine Will, and to become an 
established fact. I did not seek my part in 
the work, but accepted it as a call from the 



OXE OF GOD'S SAINTS 39 

Blessed Lord. I came in confidence and 
trust in Him alone. I found the work 
rather severe, the last few years of nursing 
having sapped much of my strength. The 
children were very helpless, and had to be 
much lifted and carried about. The water 
system was out of order, so that for bathing 
purposes, the water required had to be car- 
ried upstairs, the waste water as well car- 
ried down. Much time was spent in collect- 
ing food. The bakers gave us bread. The 
work at first was but little known. Many 
letters had to be written, appealing to make 
Christmas a happy day for the children. 
At 11 p. m. on Christmas eve a huge box 
arrived from an old friend at Germantown, 
containing an ample supply of pretty things 
for the children, both good and useful for 
all, including a fat turkey. Our first 
Christmas was a joyful day. The turkey 
was carved in the pan, not having a dish in 
which to serve it. Our table was a board 
placed on a barrel head, decorated with two 
napkins. While engaged in the carving 
process, young ladies came to call. They at 
once went out, bringing a dish and other 
bits of table service in return. 



40 THE LIFE OF 

"By another Christmas, brighter pros- 
pects had come. Our family had increased 
and our comforts multiplied and many 
friends made. Mrs. Helen Loyd has been 
wonderfully helpful and a great comfort, 
always bringing sunshine to us. A year ago 
our house was dreary and comfortless, desti- 
tute of almost every convenience. Now it 
is homelike. Mrs. Innes is anxious to pub- 
lish a little paper to make the work known. 
With the assistance of a sympathizer, it was 
begun after some hesitation. A printing 
press and type were given, and one of our 
boys, bright and intelligent, after receiving 
instruction in a printing office, has made 
considerable progress in the business. I am 
convinced that printing might not only be- 
come a source of income, but under proper 
management furnish employment to our 
boys." 

During December following the little 
monthly appeared. It became very useful in 
making friends and fncreasing the financial 
resources. 

The following shows the deep affection Sis- 
ter Sarah had for the tender suffering little ones 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 41 

that fell to her care at the Home of the Merciful 
Saviour, which she was then conducting : 

"One of our little ones, a boy of about 
five, has just died. Long a great sufferer 
from spinal disease, very patient, he had 
become an object of deep affection and of 
constant care; often, as he lay in his crib 
beside my bed, he would put out his dear 
little hand to find out if I were awake. If 
I did not immediately speak, he would re- 
main silent. If he found I was awake, in 
his sweet, gentle voice he would say, 'Please, 
turn me over/ or, 'Please, give me some 
water.' How much I loved the dear child, 
and how much I shall miss him." 
The following episode of the life there will 
be of interest : 

"Last night I was awakened by a scream 
from the little boys' room, that opened into 
my own. Upon entering, a little fellow 
cried out, 'Somebody's tumin' to till us, 
somebody's tumin' to till us !' While trying 
to soothe the child, I was startled by screams 
from the girls across the hall. I found them 
in a great state of alarm and, as soon as they 
could recover themselves, they said a man 



42 THE LIFE OF 

had been in the room and had taken night 
by the stairs. Striking a light I ran down 
and, npon entering the parlor used as onr 
Chapel, — the altar at one end being cur- 
tained off, — I found a window open. I 
hastily drew the cnrtain, and there was the 
intruder, a rather rough looking man, his 
hat drawn over his face. I looked at him a 
moment and exclaimed, 'Well?' — no reply. 
Again, 'Well V — and, with a tap of my foot 
upon the floor, I said, 'You must be a das- 
tardly coward to come into a house where 
there are only women and children.' He 
started to pass out, but I confronted him and 
exclaimed, 'There is an old Chinese legend 
that, when the Gocls created man, he sup- 
plied them with souls each for a small piece 
of money ; but to those too mean to purchase 
a soul, gizzards were given. It is easy to 
see to which you belong.' He was then 
allowed to depart. It was found a general 
ransacking had preceded discovery." 
By this time the undertaking had so pros- 
pered that, like a young child, it began to be 
felt that it could "go alone", for means had been 
given to permit the erection of a suitable build- 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 43 

ing upon ground provided upon Baltimore Ave- 
nue, — the first of the group of fine buildings 
that it now possesses. Returning to Sister 
Sarah's record: 

"I now felt that the work had passed to 
a firm basis, so that, after an interview with 
Mrs. Lines, I resigned the charge, to take a 
much needed rest, so essential ; for I had 
been contemplating beginning another work 
of mercy in the Autumn." 
In a letter now in possession, after varying 
rumours had been circulated, erroneously con- 
fusing and distorting the facts, under the date 
April 5th (a year or more afterwards), the Sis- 
ter wrote a friend in reply to an inquiry : 

U I was to have absolute control of the 
house and the children. On no other condi- 
tions would I have undertaken the work." 
As a forerunner of her retirement, she had, 
while in residence, written : 

'"The trend of things is growing unsatis- 
factory. The work has been very exacting, 
having been carried on under difficulties and 
great inconveniences, yet I had found great 
happiness in conducting it, preparing one 
for new responsibilities." 



44 THE LIFE OF ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 

To clear the minds of some, who perhaps 
thought a rest of several months at this time 
was more than ample, a brief statement made 
up from a letter as to the efforts to sustain the 
Home of the Merciful Saviour, we believe, 
should be inserted to dispel the illusion : 

"Funds came slowly and irregularly in 
small and varying sums. As a large part of 
our food had to be found by solicitations 
made personally to the butchers, bakers and 
grocers ; with the progress of time our appli- 
cations clearly became offensive to these 
persons who had at the outset been kind and 
considerate. The circle of our calls for food 
was constantly increased, until a tangent of 
twenty blocks became the limit. Frowns, 
rebuffs, and unkind responses made the col- 
lection difficult, and the fatigue of carrying 
a basket such a distance daily became ex- 
hausting and weakening to vitality." 




fc8 ** ^ 

■■■■■■Pir 


1 t : "" "" f|f 







HOUSE OF ST. MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS 

43rd and Wallace Sts., West Philadelphia 

This was a double villa : the half to the left was first 
purchased, then the other half to the right was bought about 
1900, :ind the two joined inwardly. 



HOUSE OF 
ST. MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS 

WEST PHILADELPHIA 

There were various circumstances that in- 
fluenced Sister Sarah to begin a work for desti- 
tute crippled children, entirely of the negro race, 
the following Autumn. One of the cases that 
she recorded may well illustrate the motive. 

"Having learned this evening of a desti- 
tute, crippled negro child in the lower part 
of the city, I at once set out to minister to 
it. After difficulty in locating the house to 
which I had been directed, in a miserable 
abode and a wretched neighborhood, I found 
it to be occupied by several families. 
Ascending rickety stairs and through a nar- 
row, dark, musty passage, I entered a small 
dark room entirely destitute of furniture. 
The atmosphere was sickening. On rags in 
one corner of this closet (it might be called) - 
a boy of about nine lay on the floor. Beside 
him was a piece of stale bread and a tin cup 



46 THE LIFE OF 

with some water. I spoke, but received no 
reply. I knelt by his side, taking his 
crooked fingers in my hand, but they were 
cold and stiff. I passed my fingers over his 
forehead and through his crisp hair, but he 
felt it not. The Angel of Death had borne 
the spirit of this weary child from a world 
in which he had known nothing but sorrow, 
pain and want. The Angels rejoice over 
the recovery of one penitent sinner. Do 
they weep over the victims of cruelty and 
wrong-doing V 

Such cases as this, not infrequent in varying 
conditions, showed how little was known of the 
hidden life of many. 

On a Monday in August, 1886, the House 
of St. Michael and All Angels came into exist- 
ence, the name having been suggested by a sym- 
pathizer in remembrance of the passage, "He 
shall give His Angels charge over thee" ; for the 
outlook was fraught, from a purely human 
stanelpoint, with many uncertainties; but yet 
Sister Sarah was possessed with an ever abiding 
faith in the outcome. Friends had previously 
obtained $1,000, a reservation fund for the 
future. A small house, 4012 Ludlow St., West 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 47 

Philadelphia, not unpleasantly situated, Lad 
been secured with $60 towards the rental. 
There was very little furniture; the kitchen had, 
as its equipment, a small oil stove and some 
tomato cans. Mrs. Helen Loyd rallied to help 
and comfort. It is added, "I shall be obliged to 
collect provisions to keep down expenses.'' In 
October, "a pot, tea kettle and boys' clothing," 
it is noted, arrived. In Xovember, "two table 
cloths, cups and saucers and three plates" in- 
creased the cupboard, as also some money. 

The work progressed in every way. In the 
following March a person came from the Blind 
Asylum to teach the children chair caning. The 
Sister then began to receive instruction in mak- 
ing shoes, that she might be able to impart it to 
children for such work. By June she speaks of 
their being able to make a good shoe. 

In the eyes of some how contemptible all this 
would have seemed ! It required faith, patience 
and determination, all of which the Sister had 
to an unfailing degree. To prayer she resorted 
constantly, especially when the prospect was at 
times discouraging. An event almost miracu- 
lous may here be inserted ; although she never 
spoke of it or encouraged publicity, it was too 
sacred to allude to. 



48 THE LIFE OF 

a As the first Christmas approached it 
seemed as if man had forgotten us ; although 
a few small gifts came, food was lacking; 
in fact, the first stage of starvation seemed 
approaching. Supper time of Christmas 
Eve had come, not a crust, — while many 
'have bread and to spare. 7 In the twilight 
the children were sent into the yard to play. 
Soon they returned seeking their evening 
meal. Nothing; hut equal to the emer- 
gency, she provided amusements to engage 
their attention, going apart for a while. 
This continued until the late evening, when 
suddenly a vehicle stopped at the door. A 
loud knocking ensued, doubtless with the 
supposition that all had retired, and were 
asleep. The prayer of faith had been an- 
swered ; for before the door stood an express 
wagon fully loaded, all for our House, every- 
thing and indeed more; supplies of every 
kind that lasted for weeks, beside the things 
to make the great festival a joyous one in the 
eyes of the children, such as they had never 
before known." 

[There is a gap here in the MSS. and letters, 
supplied from the file of the little paper, and 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 49 

memory, refreshed as well from various sources, 
have filled the gap.] 

It seems needless to say as time progressed, 
the House, its work and character of patients, 
extreme poverty and incidents attending, soon 
became noised about the city, and it constantly 
received gifts of various sums of money, large 
and small, furniture and food both from paro- 
chial and individual sources. Friends flocked 
to it with help and sympathy, the Reverend I. 
L. Nicholson, D.D., rector of St. Mark's Church, 
Philadelphia, being one of those interested. As 
he said, "it filled a niche that no other charitable 
work supplied." Sister Sarah then feeling its 
future from a worldly standpoint, — that which 
almost wholly affected the public, — was assured, 
desired the House to be incorporated. Moving 
to that end, Dr. Nicholson, who in early life, 
before taking Holy Orders, had read and been 
admitted to the profession of a conveyancer (a 
real estate lawyer as they are termed in that 
section of the country), was selected by her to 
draw and secure a Charter. He prepared a very 
brief and comprehensive paper which bore these 
signatures: Isaac L. Nicholson, John Iv. Mur- 
phy, Sarah M. Kirke, Geo. Wistar Kirke, 
Charles E. Lex, G. Theodore Roberts, and Sam- 



50 THE LIFE OF 

uel Williams, it being duly approved and certi- 
fied to by one of the higher Courts of Philadel- 
phia, July 11, 1887. It was to be a general 
Institution of the Church, not in any sense 
parochial, the two first named clergymen being 
chosen President and Vice President, with Mrs. 
Wm. II. Loyd as Almoner (or Treasurer), and 
Mrs. Samuel Williams, Secretary. The funds 
increased ; and it shortly warranted the purchase 
of the northern section of a house at the 1ST. E. 
corner of 43rd St. and Wallace St., with ample 
grounds, separated from the adjoining portion, 
— as it were, two residences joined under one 
roof — which gave pleasant surroundings, plenty 
of air and shade. This purchase was made in 
June, 1887 ; it stood upon the highest ground 
within the city, and preceded a month of insuf- 
ferable heat, such as the records for a hundred 
years previously had not shown, and on July 5, 
the house was occupied. 

During the preceding winter, a little 
monthly periodical had been begun, meeting 
with an immediate and- extended circulation, 
materially adding to the prosperity of the work. 
Thus The Cripple Neivs began its life. 

Taking the period embraced in the acts that 
brought this work of mercy to successful condi- 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 51 

tions, there is a vast deal affecting the life 
within that must be but briefly given or referred 
to ; for as it stands to-day, having undergone in 
some things the individualism that others with 
varying visions have wrought in its career, it yet 
remains to set forth the fundamental principles 
of its foundress, its objects yet fully recognized. 
This is a suitable place to anticipate later 
events by inserting facts that had been, in the 
Sister's opinion, fully settled for the future. 

Recalling the period of forgetfulness that 
had arisen in the mind of one as to the conduct 
of the preceding House in which she had resided, 
in an interview with the one later on chosen 
President, upon its incorporation, Sister Sarah 
writes : 

"He was clearly given to understand 
that the work when settled upon a firm basis 
should pass into the hands of a religious 
community belonging to the 'Episcopal 
Church' ; that it should be non-parochial ; 
that the Trustees should be elected annu- 
ally; and that the Chaplain should always 
be chosen by, or with the approval of, the 
Sisters in charge. To this he replied, 'It 
shall be as vou have desired.' ' 



52 THE LIFE OF 

Yet with the failings of mind or of intention 
of purpose, this House will no doubt be raised 
again to obtain new life and recover its true 
position, to stand permanently for time. It can 
be seen and considered by those upon whom God 
has bestowed wealth, enabling a due accounting 
of their stewardship. 

Many very sad and absolutely helpless cases 
were found, and many heard of and sought the 
house. Those requiring surgical operations 
when on Ludlow Street, were very kindly 
attended to at the Presbyterian Hospital in that 
part of the city. Nursing, proper food, rest and 
changed conditions brought back life and 
health ; the percentage of those beyond any com- 
plete or at least partial restoration being very, 
very small. Several passed to their rest in com- 
fort, and in "the peace of God." Mental instruc- 
tion was not in any sense lost sight of. Industry, 
with those capable in a more or less degree, was 
discreetly imposed. Guilds of both ladies and 
the young were formed, and all worked under 
the Sister's direction loyally and faithfully, and 
she ever held the members in loving and grateful 
remembrance. The premises were constantly 
overcrowded, and room could not be found for 
applicants. Some one had asked at the outset, 



ONE OF GODS SAINTS 53 

"Where would patients be found?" but they 
continued to come into the daylight from abodes 
of wretchedness, like ants out of a hill. Had 
there been room for three hundred, it could have 
been filled by those worthy and needing atten- 
tion. It was "without money and without 
price," and free from the red tape and delays 
which usually beset entrance into such houses. 
~No child that needed such ministrations Avas 
denied entrance, although some Avere so infested 
Avith sores, vermin and disease that the first step 
Avas to put them into a tepid bath, properly pre- 
pared for such cases, without removing the rags 
and excrements adhering. 

To indicate the interest that arose, before 
the first year in Ludlow Street had been com- 
pleted, $4,000 was in hand for the purchase of 
a house. 

On Michaelmas day, 1887, the Bight Bev- 
erend, the Bishop of Pennsylvania, attended by 
Father Maturin, S.S.J.E., and the Rev. F. A. 
Sanborn, held a service of benediction of the 
House in its several parts. The BeA r . Dr. Nich- 
olson became chaplain, and the staff of medical 
practitioners (Avho had freely given their serv- 
ices from the commencement, headed by Dr. De 
Forrest Willard and Dr. F. H. Milliken), was 



54 THE LIFE OF 

materially enlarged. Of the disbursements 
within the first year these charges appear : Rent 
$294.17, house maintenance (for food) 
$363.61 — all in addition to the gifts in kind. 
Drugs and surgical appliances, $2.28.21. The 
house and grounds cost $9,000. Insurance, 
taxes, water rates and legal expenses in convey- 
ance, $246.92. $4,000 was paid on account of 
the property, a mortgage for $5,000 being given. 
Within eight months $3,000 was in hand for 
reduction of mortgage. Within two months 
more, the mortgage was fully paid. On April 
28th, a Te Deum was solemnly sung for this 
blessing in the Chapel of the House. The 
Cripple News was issued monthly, and did full 
duty in its progress. Being a monthly and of 
four pages, giving full space to all news affect- 
ing it, the receipts, gifts, entertainments, 
bazaars, held for its benefit, with selections of 
other matter, especially anecdotes as to cripples, 
animals, etc., filled out its columns. Some of 
these latter being hard to find, resort was had to 
kindred subjects. It was issued under a yearly 
fee of fifty cents, and "paid its way from the 
outset." 

Legacies had begun to come. Within three 
years five are recorded, aggregating $9,840. 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS oo 

The endowment of cots began. The south por- 
tion of the building, a separate house, with sim- 
ilar grounds, was purchased at a cost of $9,200, 
a payment of $3,700 being made, and $5,500 
supplied by mortgage. These were then con- 
nected. A gentlewoman of the suburbs of Phil- 
adelphia, widowed, — Mrs. Bernard Henry, — 
had become a friend through a stray copy of the 
little periodical, and having the previous year 
while abroad lost an adopted daughter, a charm- 
ing young lady, decided, upon the recommenda- 
tion of Sister Sarah, to provide a chapel for the 
house, as a memorial, to be detached, thus giving 
required additional room for house purposes. 
There were many coloured people within reason- 
able distance of our house. These were without 
any spiritual advantages. (The City of 
Brotherly Love has always been full of alleys, 
some of which in the old portion were lined with 
small houses in which coloured people dwelt, 
and this propinquity of residences of the two 
races has continued in some of the newer parts. ) 
While this new chapel was under consideration, 
Mrs. Henry was induced by the President to 
have it sufficiently large to provide for outlying 
coloured people who might desire to attend ; but 
anything involving a special mission, or a paro- 



56 THE LIFE OF 

chial enlargement therefor, had not been thought 
of, or entertained. The questions which after- 
wards arose had never been before the Trustees. 
The design, largely of a Continental type, and 
without that treatment which beautifies the 
structures of the Anglican communion, to be 
built of red brick, which was of a size that did 
not consider the house in any sense except in a 
general way, was never brought to the notice of 
Sister Sarah, or, up to the early part of 1891, 
approved by the board, or brought to its notice, 
and was individually decided upon by the Presi- 
dent. Its size encroached greatly upon the play 
grounds of the children. It was silently per- 
mitted to be done, no one desiring to become 
involved in personalities, or to look this generous 
gift in the mouth, so to speak. Its cost outran 
the estimates, but the donor responded, she sup- 
posing the ground had been formally conveyed 
to this "Mission Chapel of St. Mark's Church," 
as it began to be called. Yet we believe it was 
never subsequently conveyed by action or deed, 
and to-day it probably remains upon ground, the 
title of which is held by the House of St. 
Michael and All Angels, it never having given 
its formal assent to any conveyance of title, and 
if the diocese has jurisdiction over the services, 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 57 

it is simply a tenant at (or without) will. It is 
not pleasant to reveal this situation. On Jnne 
18, 1890, this chapel was consecrated by the 
Bishop of the Diocese. We presume there was 
an "Instrument of Donation" — a curious anom- 
aly, unless legally or canonically remedied. 
That Mrs. Henry was misinformed as to the real 
situation is true. It came to her, as it had pre- 
viously to the Sister, when the movement had 
been unmasked, like a stroke of paralysis. Mrs. 
Henry even threatened to "go to law," when fur- 
ther it was proposed to make it a white as well 
as a coloured chapel; for her generosity had 
been misplaced and her confidence seriously 
preyed upon, for the Sister has left it in writing 
that Mrs. Henry had paid $1,000 for the ground 
upon which the building stands, under the sup- 
position that, by doing so, the whole thing be- 
longed to her to dispose of as she might see fit. 
She intended to make it over to St. Mark's 
Church, but when the Vice President informed 
her she had no power over the chapel, she was 
both surprised and distressed. She asked the 
Rev. Dr. Murphy (V. P.) to talk the situation 
over with the President and, upon doing so, 
admitting all the facts he said, "Have von the 



58 THE LIFE OF 

heart to say to Mrs. Henry that she had not 
purchased the ground ?" 

Sister Sarah made the objects of this House, 
"The surgical treatment, mental, religious 
and industrial instruction of young coloured 
cripples." The surgical, of course, came first; 
then, as in order, the mind development led to 
the religious training, essential; for, without 
religion, morals are, as a fact, worthless for the 
development of true manhood or womanhood. 
To render life of value, the work of the hands 
properly guided by the mind is imperative in so 
far as health and strength allow. The first three 
objects were necessarily provided for, the fourth 
being the most difficult to work, owing to the 
varying conditions affecting these poor destitute 
fellow mortals. The injunction, "he that will 
not work, shall not eat," was, in this respect, the 
guiding principle. Chair-caning, shoemaking, 
and printing were all in the mind of the Sister, 
and so they proved to be a reality. Many recog- 
nized their practical value, and yet, without 
appropriate quarters, the difficulties of adapta- 
tion had to be met. Printing The Cripple Neius 
by the children, from type setting to press work, 
was uppermost in mind, and undertaken first in 
a complete manner as a step towards the other 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 59 

proposals. The money was asked for, a mod- 
erate sum, and it was forthcoming generously 
and promptly, the first gift being an anonymous 
one of $100. The eldest boy, originally and 
literally pulled out of an ash barrel, had adapted 
himself to civilization, and, provided with arti- 
ficial limbs, — for he had lost both, — had been 
taught to read; and apt, as he was, went daily 
for instruction to a printing office, his knowledge 
as gained being imparted to others. A small 
press was given and, under the direction of a 
practical printer during evenings, in October, 
1889, The Cripple Neivs came out for the first, 
wholly printed in the House from first to last, 
and a copy now before us shows it to have been 
in every respect a creditable piece of work. 
Then other printing was sought, and it came so 
freely as to be, with equipment, almost beyond 
the capacity of the undertaking. Money was 
sent for additional and appropriate founts of 
type and other requisites. A man — a practical 
printer — was engaged to oversee and conduct the 
work, and everything prospered to the full 
extent. 

About this time the President individually 
began to dissent in various ways with the order 
long established. He took decided ground 



60 THE LIFE OF 

against the printing enterprise, objecting also, 
very strongly, to a series of articles upon Sym- 
bolism which had been printed for some time, 
saying they were attributed to him, so that the 
publisher abruptly broke off and they were not 
completed. St. Mark's had a most "ornate" 
service, and the order in the adjacent "Mission 
Chapel" was most pronounced. No one had 
ever intimated a word against the series of 
articles referred to ; on the contrary, they were 
received with many expressions of interest and 
avidity, being simple, accurate and scriptural. 
So uncomfortable was the Sister made by the 
individual attitude of the objector as to the 
printing enterprise, that she abandoned it, and 
had its equipment sold, first issuing a little cir- 
cular of facts, as follows : 

"The Industrial Department 
"Last autumn a limited sum of money 
was solicited to equip and open a small 
printing office in the House, in pursuance 
of the original object of this work, the 
industrial department. Friends who had 
full confidence in the plan, and desired to 
see practical means adopted towards making 
the House self-supporting, very promptly 



OXE OF GOD'S SAINTS 61 

and generously responded, giving almost 
double the amount required. We asked for 
a six months' trial, feeling sure that, by the 
end of that time, the undertaking would be 
placed on a firm basis, sufficient thencefor- 
ward to support itself. The result justified 
our most sanguine expectations. 

"'The first two months were chiefly occu- 
pied in introducing the children into the art 
of typesetting and seeking orders ; as a con- 
sequence no income was returned. But each 
succeeding month brought work and encour- 
agement, enabling us to add almost $200 
worth of type, etc., to our stock, and furnish- 
ing The Cripple News and our last annual 
report (a pamphlet) without any charge 
upon the House funds. The fifth month 
paid all expenses, the sixth did the same, 
and enabled us to spend about $52 in type 
and turn in over $17 to the Treasurer, the 
gross returns for that month being $141.50. 

"At this time, owing to circumstances, 
the enterprise was suspended, with orders 
aggregating $14-6 on file, which had to be 
given up. There was every prospect of in- 
creasing success, the work performed having 
given satisfaction. That this printing office, 



62 THE LIFE OF 

small as it was, could have been made to 
support the House, there ivas not the shadow 
of a doubt. It should have been made the 
success of which it was capable. 

"Some of the children were learning a 
useful trade (not however to the neglect of 
the daily school instruction), and thus the 
whole undertaking was crushed out. The 
Charter allowed for all this, and the Trus- 
tees had never made an objection, nor had 
any action been taken against it; on the 
contrary a tacit approval on the part of the 
members of the corporation was allowed to 
exist." 

Then arbitrary and unwarranted interfer- 
ence in the same way began with the recognized 
order of the House, as affecting the hours for 
meals, the surgical routine and other wholly 
unnecessary disturbance of the proper order. A 
coloured person coming from another religious 
body, poorly instructed, recently admitted to the 
Diaconate, was made Chaplain, there then being 
two Chaplains, the deacon being put in charge 
of the "Mission Chapel" without any regard to 
the House or its requirements, it being treated 
wholly as an outside affair. The Sister was 
directed to "bend" her rules; and as there could 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 63 

be no celebration of the Holy Communion under 
existing conditions, and as the former chapel in 
the House was put out of use, to take the child- 
ren out to a parish church some distance off at 
9 a. m., upon a Sunday, monthly, — a fasting 
communion, — was to these children at that 
hour, an impossibility. To this latter, she 
found assent impractical. All these things and 
many other actions rendered her position an 
impossibility ; and in due time, acting under the 
advice of her pastor, she sent in her resignation 
to take effect later on. Thus her own work, 
begun, laboured for unceasingly, nourished, de- 
veloped and made by herself, under guidance of 
the Holy Spirit, went from her. The Trustees, 
the Board partly decreased by at least two or 
more for the cause stated, quietly acquiesced in 
her resignation, passing resolutions prepared, 
which, while reasonably expressive, it is 
unnecessary to insert. 

The difficulties attending this undertaking 
were very great, and extended to almost every- 
thing. To illustrate, a new governess, — as the 
position was denominated, — a person admirably 
adapted to her duties, at the end of the first week 
decided to withdraw, 

"considering that physical contact with the 



04 THE LIFE OF 

children was a degradation, which no lady 
could undergo without loss of self-respect. 
This is the feeling of many who visit the 
House, even of some who take great in- 
terest in our work. I cannot understand 
the feeling. My eyes never rest on any 
of these children without seeing in them 
the most glorious possibilities." (The case 
of Bishop Crowther of the Niger, captured 
as a boy on a slaver, living to attain the 
Episcopate and receive the great degree of 
D.C.L. from the University of Oxford, Eng- 
land, was ever with her.) 

" There had generally been no difficulty 
in providing food for the House and this 
very greatly reduced the cost of its support. 
Churches, friends, butchers and bakers gave 
liberally. When retiring from the work, 
thirty-eight children were in it, almost every 
one under greatly improved conditions, 
while many had been discharged restored or 
improved, and good homes found for oth- 
ers." 

This unfortunate change allowed it to be 
largely diverted from the wishes of its foun- 
dress. It became, more and more, a parish char- 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS Go 

ity, although never aided or helped materially 
by that with which rumour and acts permitted 
it to be associated. It has never recovered from 
the effects of this blow. 

During these years in West Philadelphia, 
Sister Sarah was parochially connected with St. 
Clement's Church in the city proper, then under 
the pastoral care of the Fathers of the Order of 
St. John the Evangelist of Cowley St. John, 
Oxford, England, but this parish never had, in 
any way, any connection with the House of St. 
Michael and All Angels, except in that general 
interest in its welfare which so largely pre- 
vailed. 

We can here take leave of this work, which 
has gone on and must with the help of God 
continue, until it is recovered to conditions more 
in accord with the plans of its foundress. 




HOUSE OF 
ST. GILES THE CRIPPLE 

New opportunities for Sister Sarah were 
not, in any sense, wanting. More than one plan 
for the future had been upon her mind. Early 
in 1891, when it became known she had re- 
signed, an effort was made to secure her inter- 
est in a work of mercy that it was proposed to 
undertake for her in the city of Brooklyn, N. Y. 
She was approached and invited to consider the 
subject of a work on similar lines for cripples 
as that in which she had last been engaged. A 
number of ladies connected with several parishes 
of that city (since made a borough of the 
Greater New York), were invited to meet her 
at Emmanuel (now St. Martin's) Church for a 
conference. A representation was present, when 
the entire undertaking was left to her personal 
wishes and judgment — as to all plans and the 
conduct thereof — a number of ladies pledging 
their personal support. At that time the Dio- 
cese of Long Island was presided over by the 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 67 

Right Reverend Dr. Little John, the first occu- 
pant of that See. This diocese had but a single 
charitv, as it may be called, consisting of a hos- 
pital, orphanage and kindred work, known as 
the Church Charity Foundation, which had suf- 
fered from a lack of general interest, it being 
felt that its life was restricted. In connection, 
an order of Deaconesses had existed under the 
title of the Sisters of St. John Evangelist, 
largely at that time indefinitely defined. 

Dr. Little John did not regard the new pro- 
posal with much favor, for he believed it could 
not be supported and might soon wither away ; 
as his experience with the institution already 
established had been somewhat disappointing. 
He assented to the proposed step with some 
degree of indifference. A committee was formed 
to secure money for the rental of a small house 
and gifts of furnishings, meeting with a limited 
degree of success, but sufficient to encourage Sis- 
ter Sarah to undertake it. It was fully under- 
stood she was to secure a charter under such con- 
ditions as she would approve, to appoint or nom- 
inate the Trustees, and these to administer the 
house under her direction, and to conduct it 
according to her own plans. Her previous 
experiences had enabled her wisely to reach this 



08 THE LIFE OF 

view. It was to be absolutely under direction 
of the Church, and all connected with it were to 
be of its communicants. She decided, too, that 
laymen alone, for obvious reasons, were to com- 
pose its board. A small house of six rooms, 422 
Degraw Street, near the Gowanus Canal, at a 
rental of $29 per month, was secured, and odds 
and ends of cast-off furniture put in it. Late in 
the afternoon of August 29, 1891, Sister Sarah 
arrived from Philadelphia accompanied by 
three somewhat helpless coloured cripples of 
tender years, being met at Jersey City, and 
crossing by the boat of the "Annex" then in 
operation. The group taken together was an 
odd one, the garb of the Sister and the character 
and class of her company attracting both the 
attention and sympathy of the other passengers 
to destination. She had but a single acquaint- 
ance in Brooklyn, and so unexpected had been 
the humble advent, that no one of the committee 
was present to receive her. The party had to 
remain upon the steps Until the key was secured 
at some distance. So surprised was the lady 
who had the key at hearing of the arrival, that 
she almost insisted by message upon the group 
coming to her house to be quartered for the 
night. Not so with the Sister ; she had come to 




HOUSE OF ST. GILES THE CRIPPLE 

422 Degraw St., Brooklyn 

First (rented) house occupied, 1891-92 

Here St. Giles" came into existence, August 29, 1891 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 09 

begin, and that was the hour and place, and they 
look possession on the spot, then and there going 
into residence. To the only other one present, 
as the shadows of evening were falling, the scene 
could not but be an impressive one ; for as they 
entered, the "House of St. Giles the Cripple," 
with the blessing of God, was born. A great 
work was then begun. It was wholly and 
entirely an act of faith, if such can be compre- 
hended by many who call themselves Christian, 
begun with an implicit confidence in the help of 
God, and not a thought otherwise even entered 
her mind. It could not and would not fail, 
except through her own failure to do her whole 
duty. Prayer was ever her resource and it never 
failed her, for she was sincere and true. Its 
commencement' can best be given in her own 
language. 

"How dreary everything looked, and 
how lonely I felt. I was a stranger in a 
strange city, almost without funds and con- 
fronted by an unknown future. We were 
oppressed with the extreme heat and very 
hungry. The children had each brought a 
tin cup. I had a little tea, a small lamp, and 
a little oil stove. I made tea in one of the 
tin cups ; and, with the remains of the food 



70 THE LIFE OF 

brought for luncheon, some biscuits bought 
at a neighbouring store, spread upon the top 
of a barrel found in the passageway, soon 
had refreshments. The boys then tumbled 
down on a straw bed, the little girl stretch- 
ing herself beside me, and, although the 
atmosphere was both steaming and stifling, 
they were soon oblivious to fatigue and dis- 
comfort. The place was without gas, adding 
. loneliness to that most dreary night, my 
little lamp serving to make the darkness 
visible. Sleep I could not, so I sat and 
planned for the future, awaiting the light 
of day. I felt sure I had been appointed 
by divine will to this work, and that Tie 
would sustain me in it, making it fruitful 
in bringing both physical and spiritual bless- 
ings to many crippled children. Before leav- 
ing Philadelphia my good friend Mrs. Loyd 
put into my hands $100, contributed by 
friends to recuperate me at the seashore. 
This now afforded me means to purchase for 
St. Giles' needed beds and cribs for our 
children. We were thus enabled to spend a 
more comfortable second night. Mrs. Wal- 
bridge called, and seems disposed to be very 
friendly. In the evening . 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 71 

It was cheering to see a familiar face that I 
had so long known, and who is in sympathy. 
A succeeding day brought better order. Box 
lids made shelves for clothing, which we 
trimmed with chintz, and boxes, hinged with 
leather from an old shoe, served both for 
receptacles and seats. 

"The ensuing day was spent in soliciting 
food supplies from butchers, bakers and 
grocers to keep down our expenses. A gen- 
tleman, who learned of our house inci- 
dentally, offered to give us a donkey to col- 
lect our food; but having no place to keep 
the little fellow, we had to decline, and our 
collections are made by a basket with which 
I always go out. 

"By October we were more comfortable. 
A member of Emmanuel Church painted 
our floors. Pieces of carpet were found for 
us. Our dining room had now four chairs 
and a table. Another crippled child has 
been sent us, so very helpless that in my 
brief absences made necessary, I have had 
to employ some one to assist, adding to our 
expenses. During this month the district 
member of the State Board of Charities, 
having learned of us, called to see what was 



72 THE LIFE OF 

going on. Inquiring as to our resources and 
funds in hand, and also if any guarantees 
for support had been made, and learning the 
state of affairs, he advised me to at once 
abandon it and return whence I came, say- 
ing it must inevitably end in failure. I did 
not agree with him. Discouraging as it was, 
it did not discourage, 'for a failure it can- 
not be.' In November he came again and 
insisted upon our having bedside carpets, a 
fire-escape, etc. I at once saw the necessity 
of getting into a better neighbourhood and 
more convenient house, for these parts are 
too retired for successful effort. The spring 
must bring a change. It may be added here, 
this gentleman, a Swedenborgian, lived to 
see St. Giles successful, and at his death a 
legacy of $3,000 was found in his will for 
us. His wife also became a kind friend." 
In December she wrote one hundred and 

fifty letters to various persons, appealing for 

money. Several Philadelphia friends responded. 

Calls from friends living in the same city gave 

her much comfort. 

During this month the charter was decreed 

by the Court, secured without cost, except the 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 73 

Court fees attaching, by Henry J. Hemmens, 

Esq., a young lawyer of Xew York, who then 
became counsellor for the House, giving his 
services generously. It had been very difficult 
to secure corporators, requiring weeks to con- 
sider and decide, some feeling that in case of 
any failure personal financial liability would 
come in. However, at last, six members of the 
( 'hureh, connected with various parishes, were 
found to assent to form a corporation. At this 
point a document was prepared by request of 
Sister Sarah, and first signed by those who all 
signed the petition for incorporation. In time 
the existence of this document became known 
and excited some uncalled-for comments. It has 
never to this hour been seen by other than the 
signers. Every trustee during Sister Sarah's 
time signed it cheerfully ; and we can say to 
those who came after her departure, that they 
would have signed it likewise before entering; 
the Board had she not retired, for the occasion 
therefor with her resignation then ceased. How 
delightful it is to shout in the daylight. The 
promise of conformity is as follows: 

"We, the undersigned, invited by Sister 
Sarah (Sarah M. Kirke) to become the in- 



THE LIFE OF 

corporators* of the House of St. Giles the 
Cripple, Brooklyn, to enable her to make 
legal the holding of property, both realty 
and personal, for the objects and purposes 
of said House as declared in its printed pro- 
spectus set forth, hereby severally accept the 
appointment thereof for election with the 
express understanding that the said Sister 
Sarah is to make all nominations of officers 
and trustees annually, or as vacancies occur, 
which we as corporators are to severally 
elect. Further it is understood, that when 
a community may be established or selected 
by said Sister Sarah for taking the charge 
and management of this House and work, 
we shall and will, at such time and at her 
request, severally resign in favor of, and 
transfer our legal privileges to, the commu- 
nity or order designated for the purpose. 

"Signed by: 
"Jane E. Walbridge, Brooklyn, 

Aug. 29, 1891, 

Geo. Wistae Kirke, Brooklyn, 

Aug. 29, 1891, 



Or members of the Corporation. 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 75 

Schuyler V. V. Hoffman, Brooklyn, 

Aug. 29, 1891, 
Geo. Wackerhagen, Brooklyn, 

Sept. 15, 1891, 
Peter Mallett, Brooklyn, 

Sept. IT, 1891, 
Wm. F. Dudley, Brooklyn, 

Sept. 23, 1891." 
(The foregoing, with Sister Sarah, signed 
the petition for incorporation. New trustees 
follow : ) 

"Nicholas Bossi Mersereau, Jr., 

Nov. 6, 1893, 
Henry Tyler Perry, March 21, 1895, 
Wm. Craig Wilmer, Dec. 7, 1895, 
Ciias. D. Marvin, Dec. 8, 1895, 
Henry J. Hemmens, Feb. 12, 1896." 

In December, 1891, the Board was organ- 
ized in the DeGraw Street house, the fifth 
signer (a former Colonel of the Confederate 
Army) being chosen President, the second 
signer, Vice-President (who, hoAvever, being a 
blood relation of Sister Sarah, was unwilling 
then to act in that capacity, the position for the 
first year remaining unfilled, and re-election 



70 THE LIFE OF 

thereto followed in the second year), the third 
named was chosen Secretary, and the sixth, 
Treasurer. The Reverend H. O. Riddell was 
appointed Chaplain. The publication of a lit- 
tle quarterly periodical was authorized, to be 
called The Brooklyn Cripple News, and about 
Christmas it appeared, at first a two-page 
leaflet. The work constantly became better 
known, gifts came from churches and indi- 
viduals, people came to look the place over, and 
everything progressed. A guild of ladies was 
formed to aid in the work. 

In May, 1892, a much more commodious 
and better located house was rented, situated at 
193 State Street, near Court Street, at $50 per 
month. Seventeen patients were then under 
treatment therein. Prospects were continually 
brightening. 

The children had been taken to St. Martin's 
on President Street for worship and Com- 
munion, at least those able to go out. The dis- 
tance from the new house now precluded it. 

When in State Street our children had a 
Christmas Day festival with tree, the first, we 
believe without exception, these poor outcasts 
had ever seen. Many friends attended, and, 
among others present, a young English lady of 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 77 

great refinement and sweetness of disposition 
observed closely the house and its patients. 
Xext day she called and offered her services 
without compensation and was gladly received, 
being as well a member of the Church. The 
Chaplain having resigned, we became enabled to 
draw more attention, our Church at large hav- 
ing regarded us both coldly and with some doubt. 
Other religious bodies, however, rallied to our 
support. Miss Coleman, the lady who came to 
us, Avas admirably adapted to the work, and at 
once had great influence over our children. So 
we continued to progress until the following 
spring, when sufficient money was in hand to 
essay the purchase of a larger and more suitable 
house, finally selecting 419 Clinton Street, ad- 
joining the beautiful St. Paul's Church, at a 
cost of $11,500, of which $2,000 was paid in 
cash, the remainder provided for by bond and 
mortgage. 

During the January previous, the Sister had 
sent out the following letter : 

"An Appeal 
"This House was opened August 17th, 
1891, in a small hired dwelling, and re- 
moved to its present location May 1st last. 



THE LIFE OF 

It lias outgrown each building, and there 
are many applications which cannot be pro- 
vided for. 

"The house is in every respect a charity. 
It has no fees for entrance, its beds are free, 
and it is open to children of either sex and 
any colour, nationality, or creed, whenever 
a place is available, limited only by its 
room. It is not connected with any parish, 
being a general work of the Church, depend- 
ent upon charity for daily maintenance. 
There are now twenty-three children under 
its roof. Several of these are hopelessly 
crippled and deformed, yet almost all are 
possessed of average natural abilities and 
have the free use of their hands, and there 
is no reason why in time they shall not be- 
come established in permanent independ- 
ence. Those who can, attend school daily 
in the House. There are plans for the in- 
troduction of suitable industries. There 
are no salaries, except for the limited do- 
mestic help employed and resident in the 
House. The House (or Home) and hospital 
has secured an existence. It must now 
secure a permanence, assuring proper build- 
ings and an income, to place it beyond the 




ttVv*V^ 



HOUSE OF ST. GILES THE CRIPPLE 

419 Clinton St., Brooklyn. Third house occupied : 

purchased 1893 

The adjoining house, Xo. 417. was bought and adapted, 1896 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 70 

tide of uncertainties. The future conduct 
of the House and its status is assured. 

"We need a house properly constructed 
or arranged, and means to carry on the 
work marked out. We ask for the money, 
knowing that it will be a blessing to the 
giver or givers. 

"There is now $1/200 surplus in the 
treasurer's hands, available for the purchase 
of a suitable house which we should occupy 
by May 1st. We want $5,000 by Easter 
Day (April 2nd), that a purchase can be 
made, the balance going on mortgage, which 
would then be a less charge upon our funds 
than the present rental. 

"We ask for sums ranging from $1.00 
to $1,000 or more, payable on or before 
April 1st next. How much will you give '. 
Gifts of any sum thankfully received and 
can be forwarded to 

"Sister Sarah, 
193 State Street, 

"January, 1893. Brooklyn." 

The new house was secured by the gifts of 
small sums. It was the best, considering every- 
thing, that could be had. It provided a small 



SO THE tlFE OF 

surgical ward, an oratory for the daily morn- 
ing and evening offices of prayer and praise, 
dining and school rooms. A staff of surgeons 
and physicians was appointed, with Dr. George 
Wackerhagen, assisted by Dr. Burr Burton 
Mosher, at the head of the first named depart- 
ment, and Dr. Win. F. Dudley in charge of the 
second. Operations, successfully resulting, be- 
gan. The food was largely gathered by the boys 
able to go out, under supervision, by the aid of 
a hand-wagon. New patients were constantly 
added, until the place became, if anything, over- 
crowded, and foundlings were even left aban- 
doned at the front door, announced by bell, the 
one bringing promptly vanishing. Many new 
friends were constantly coming and, with the 
old, aiding in such ways as were possible. As 
already said, St. Paul's Church being next to 
us, it was very convenient for attendance at 
services. 

It can here be well said, no restrictions were 
ever placed upon the religion of the inmates. 
In lieu of any form of faith, they gladly went 
to the house and church services as ordered. An 
occasional exception occurred and such were ex- 
empted. ~No Protestant minister to see any in- 
dividual child was ever excluded. But such 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 81 

never seemed to have any interest in children. 
The priest of the Roman Catholic Church of 
St. Stephen's, near by, was occasionally called 
when desired, and both Unction and the Viati- 
cum have been administered in that house, for 
very many Roman Catholic children were 
among the patients. 

We here feel justified in making a digres- 
sion from the order of the narrative, for obvious 
reasons, giving two facts in juxtaposition. 

Soon after the opening of the first house, 
on Degraw Street, a very wealthy gentleman of 
family, resident in Brooklyn, with palatial seats 
at Newport, R. I., and in the Adirondacks, one 
day sent a person with a helpless child of three 
or four years, a hopeless case, to us, requesting 
its reception without any previous advice, ac- 
companied with a cheque of about $25.00. It 
was not a cripple in any sense. The Sister was 
without help, the child could not move and had 
to be tended hour in and out, crying both day 
and night, constantly. The physicans could not 
diagnose its troubles and promptly decided it 
was not a fit subject for retention ; but the Sis- 
ter in her compassion retained it, hoping for a 
change, until after some weeks, largely without 
any rest, at the point of collapse, Avorn out with 



82 THE LIFE OF 

its care, she was compelled to send it back to 
the institution whence it was brought, one well 
equipped with nurses, who had become wearied 
with and desired to be rid of it. It was found 
to have been previously in other institutions, 
being sent from one to another for the same 
reasons. The gentleman was advised as to the 
reasons for returning it. He retorted by a let- 
ter wholly unwarranted, informing us that any 
thought of aiding St. Giles' in the future was 
ended. A courteous letter, fully explaining the 
reasons, was written, merely to assure him of the 
true cause, but he never relented so far as 
known, and St. Giles' became a blank to him. 
A fair Churchman, and one who should have 
been a very active sympathizer in this work, he 
has since gone beyond the veil, the little one 
soon after passing into eternal rest. The trus- 
tees even considered the return of his donation, 
but it was deemed best to let it pass. 

The following, taken from a source that was 
doubtless never intended to see the light, is given 
that her character may be better understood. 
The occurrence was in Brooklyn: 

"I called this afternoon to see a poor 

woman suffering greatly from rheumatism. 

I found her scantily clad and suffering from 







CHILDREN OF HOUSE OF ST. GILES THE CRIPPLE, 
BROOKLYN 

Taken in Carroll Park, 1898 
These represent the children able to be out of bed, yet 
then mostly under treatment. The larger ones are "Order- 
lies," remaining in the House to assist after their discharge. 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 83 

cold. Upon returning to the house, I sent 
her all the warm clothing I possessed. ~No 
sooner had the package gone than the 
thought came, What shall I do for a change 
of underwear ? The weather was cold and I 
had but fifty cents of my own, and no pros- 
pect of receiving anything for some weeks ? 
Two days after a kind friend, Mrs. Good- 
rich, by a generous gift of warm clothing, 
not only supplied my immediate needs but 
also relieved my wants in succeeding years. 
How true is the text, 'He that giveth to the 
poor, lendeth to the Lord. He will repay 
him.' » 

To resume, under date of July 10th follow- 
ing, she writes: 

"Miss R. Gr. Morgan has just accepted 
a position as House teacher and general 
assistant. [June 11, 1895]. She is clear- 
headed and whole-hearted. I shall not be 
surprised if she proves to be just the person 
we require. Some of our official friends 
connected with the House seem to think that 
we can now be more lavish in our expendi- 
tures. Better help and more of it would 
certainly be both a comfort and advantage, 
but I cannot yet feel justified in creating it." 



84 THE LIFE OF 

Everything went on prospering and to pros- 
per. About this time the visions of some of 
the trustees assumed greatly enlarged dimen- 
sions. It was proposed to buy an adjacent 
property, an Italian style of villa, stuccoed, with 
ground at a cost approximating $25,000. We 
had received several small legacies, but such a 
step was wholly unwarranted. An animated 
session of the trustees was held to consider it, 
the argument being that "it might be sold other- 
wise and the opportunity lost." There was no 
practical proposal for even paying a proportion 
on account, but merely to take the step and trust 
to Providence. The Sister opposed it and was 
strongly supported by one or more, it finally be- 
ing voted down. This developed a cloud upon the 
horizon, and some feeling was aroused as to the 
Sister's parsimony, etc. Then she was looked 
upon as "too advanced in life," that she was too 
"old-fashioned a nurse" to encourage enthusiasm 
and growth. There were many interviews much 
prolonged, carried on by the dissatisfied ones, 
until a meeting was called at a private house, 
all trustees being invited but Sister Sarah, who 
knew nothing of it, the object being to get her 
out on account of age. One of those invited 
refused to attend any such underhanded gath- 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS S3 

ering or caucus. Not getting the support de- 
sired, the most militant of all meetings held 
followed, taking place in the House, the Sister 
present. She was fully equal to the occasion, 
turning the tables and putting them to flight. 
In the next week or two, calling upon one to 
retire, the other conspirators resigned, one by 
one, special meetings being held to accept and 
fill the vacancies until the objectors had gone. 
While "dying hard," these objectors later, in 
their efforts, we regret to say, to get in some 
shots, were the cause of some benefit to the work. 
The establishing of the House had, to many, 
been so phenomenal that the tide had turned 
in its favour. As it was, taking the position of 
the Sister that it should be a Diocesan Institu- 
tion, Bishop Littlejohn came officially by invi- 
tation and blessed the building in its several 
parts. It was an impressive ceremony, being 
attended in the procession by a choir, trustees, 
the clergy, and chaplain. At the door he re- 
cited this collect of the ages gone by : 

"Almighty and merciful God, who has 
granted such grace unto Thy Priests, that 
whatsoever they do fitly in Thy Name is 
held as done by Thee, we entreat Thy great 
goodness that Thou wouldst visit whatsoever 



86 THE LIFE OF 

we shall visit, and bless whatsoever we shall 
bless; and grant as we enter this place in 
lowliness of heart, the evil spirits may be 
pnt to flight and the Angels of peace enter 
in. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 
Amen/' 

His visitation greatly impressed and con- 
vinced him, what he saw having been accom- 
plished in a little more than two years. At his 
advanced age, afterwards, he wrote the Sister, 
regarding it as a Diocesan Institution, as she 
did, and wishing "to put his house in order," 
suggested that he should be officially connected 
with it. This the Sister desired, and responded 
without delay, appointing the Vice-President 
as her commissary to. meet and discuss the situa- 
tion with him. The paper already given in 
extenso, in which the Sister reserved to herself 
the right to govern the House, had been noised 
abroad by the trustees who withdrew, and much 
ado made of it. The Bishop never saw it but 
learned its character and the subject was dis- 
cussed, deemed of little importance and dropped. 
Several rectors of parishes in the city, of the 
nebulous type in their theology, had endeav- 
ored to create a feeling against the little pa- 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 87 

per, The Brooklyn Cripple News, owing to 
some of its utterances, entirely true and en- 
tirely in keeping with the sound teaching of the 
Church, but which did not fit their individual- 
isms. This position being mentioned, the 
Bishop stated that he read it closely, and did 
not recall in its columns a word that he would 
have had altered, adding, too, that a member 
of his family had said to him upon one occasion 
that it was a the only paper of its kind that was 
worth reading." The interview T was a delight- 
ful one and, the Presidency of the House being 
vacant, the Bishop was duly elected thereto. He 
was very susceptible to frankness and courtesy, 
and ever after was its warm friend and sup- 
porter. 

Miss Morgan's value became more and more 
apparent. During the succeeding summer, by 
the gifts of friends so designated, Sister Sarah 
was enabled to make a visit to England of some 
weeks' duration. ISTo one ever enjoyed a glimpse 
of that wonderful land more than she did. The 
solemn grandeur of its great churches, and the 
gems of age and beauty in the rural parts, never 
left her memory. Miss Morgan conducted the 
House in her absence with marked ability. 

During the succeeding winter the Sister 



S8 THE LIFE OF 

completed her seventieth year, and, greatly 
feeling the burden of years, she tendered her 
resignation, which was reluctantly accepted, 
Miss Morgan being chosen after a time as her 
successor. The Bishop, knowing her desire to 
have it pass into the hands of a community of 
women, desired it to go into the hands of his 
order of Deaconesses, or Sisters, as they were 
then known. The trustees took a stand against 
them for several reasons, but the Bishop was 
unwilling to receive any order from without 
the Diocese, so that Sister Sarah's desire and 
hope was not accomplished. 

The trustees who had resigned heard false 
rumours as to the House after their retirement, 
and a sympathizer- wrote the Bishop while on 
a brief sojourn in Barbadoes for his health, 
conveying these to him, i.e., that the finances 
of the House were in a very low state and, with 
many debts, the inmates were likely soon to be 
in the streets. The Bishop hastily returned. 
Without any knowledge thereof, a trustee meet- 
ing had been called for the evening following 
his unexpected return. The formality of a 
notice had been sent him, which he found upon 
reaching the See house. When the trustees as- 
sembled they were surprised to find the Bishop 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 89 

awaiting them. He was very grave, called the 
meeting to order, and asked for a suspension of 
the routine to address them. He recited the 
distressing situation reported to him, which cre- 
ated a corresponding surprise to those present. 
When a break occurred, the Treasurer asked 
permission to read his report. When the Bishop 
heard that $1,800 was in hand and all debts 
paid, he was dumbfounded. His indignation 
at the deception was great ; and we know these 
meddlesome ones who had themselves been mis- 
led, long remembered the sequel with dismay. 
At his decease the Bishop left the House a 
legacy. From the rectorship of one of the large 
parishes of Brooklyn, he was raised to the "bur- 
den of the Episcopate" ; and, from a school of 
rather indefinite theology, he grew in the spir- 
itual life "to the fuller knowledge and faith of 
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ," embracing 
the full faith of the Holy Catholic Church. A 
prelate of fine presence and courtly manners, 
he had the grace and gentleness of a little child. 
He left a noble foundation, well endowed and 
provided for, and if all did not see eye to eye 
with him, he yet rests in the Paradise of God, 
there to receive finally his Apostolic reward. 




St. Giles', Stoke Pogis 






ELSEWHERE 

Just as to one worn out with fatigue after 
exhausting duties and enabled to secure a full 
measure of rest in sleep, the. morning brings 
renewed strength and energy, so Sister Sarah, 
resting after her labours at St. Giles', was soon 
refreshed and ready for new duty. She was 
soon ready to start afresh; although, had any 
measure of appreciation of her work in that 
house been forthcoming, she would have been 
provided for therein, having a general oversight, 
and thus affording her a home for the balance 
of her days. 

In March she took her departure, going to 
Philadelphia. A call from Lynchburg-, Vir- 
ginia, soon came, and with that readiness so 
characteristic of her, she at once responded, and 
upon arrival found herself in some respects at 
a veritable Dotheboy's Hall which, in some 
things, she would far better never have seen — 
it being an "institution" for orphans of the 
questionable type prevailing in the days of 



92 THE LIFE OF 

Charles Dickens. One Jaeger, formerly a Jew- 
ish Iiabbi, had this orphanage or asylum for 
poor and ignorant coloured children, of course, 
of the Virginia type, the establishment being 
termed an "Industrial School." The head of 
it had repeatedly called upon the Sister in both 
cities, previously, to get her interested in his 
establishment, writing her constantly until she 
was induced to make "a visit." Located seven 
miles from Lynchburg, a large brick building 
perched upon a wooded hill, it was found to be 
in a terrible, unsanitary condition. There was 
no water in the house, and indeed, water for 
all purposes — with a collection of seventy-three 
children, boys and girls, from a few months to 
teens — had to be carried up by hand. There 
was not the least discipline, the children roam- 
ing through the house at will — a pandemonium 
of disorder. She says: 

"I had not supposed such a state of 
things could exist. A lot of the boys do the 
kitchen work and the cooking. Such a look- 
ing kitchen ! Such cooking ! Such boys ! 
Virginia biscuits, as hard as a board; and 
soft, unsalted, scalded butter for break- 
fast." 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 93 

The details that followed as to the cooking, 
"victuals," etc., leave a wonder in one's mind 
as to how long the stomach would last under 
such "hodge podge" food. When the Sister 
could view the whole business with "disgust," 
then we may know it was absolutely bad. Fat ! 
fat! everything fat! and furniture, chairs, etc., 
well fatted! Every morning after prayers, 
which followed breakfast, perhaps twenty of the 
younger, too young to toddle alone, would be 
sent out with one of the older girls into a nearby 
grove to play. There being plenty of red clay, 
they returned looking like pigs. Even bathing 
and clean clothing did not prevent playing in 
and at everything thev chose. 

Later on she says : 

"I can stand the present state of things 
no longer. I have undertaken to put the 
house in order, and make an attempt at 
organization." 

Thus a duty appeared, and she felt the call 
to stay. 

In July the record says : 

"The house is now in a more sanitary 
condition, every room cleaned from top to 



94 THE LIFE OF 

bottom, floors oiled, the mattresses emptied, 
the ticks washed and refilled with fresh 
straw. Near by was the farmhouse belong- 
ing to the premises in which the boys slept. 
Words cannot describe the filthy condition 
of this place : broken-down bedsteads, filthy 
beds, disorder and dirt. It will require two 
weeks to put the place in decent order. The 
man in charge, who slept in a separate room, 
had been obliged to keep his own in order. 
To protect himself from vermin, the bed 
feet stood in cups containing tar. Anything 
was good enough for the orphans. Lack 
of training was apparent in everything. If 
the room was left for a moment, the help 
was gone ; and if a messenger was sent for 
the absent one, he never returned. This is 
all given to show the conditions ; and a vast 
amount more is omitted that at least would 
in a sense prove somewhat startling." 
All these abuses the Sister succeeded in 
changing to better things. One of the persons 
attached to the administration she speaks of : 

"He is the kindest, the most patient and 
self-possessed person I ever met. Like my- 
self, he became engaged here under the im- 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 95 

pression that the asylum was a Church In- 
stitution. 

"In September, Mrs. Jaeger requested 
me to take the entire charge of the asylum, 
and to reorganize it as I pleased. I would 
gladly do so but for Dr. Jaeger ; it can never 
prosper while he remains in any way con- 
nected w r ith it. The difficulty is the lack 
of training in the children. One must be 
with, and direct them, at every step. The 
kitchen was conducted in such a way that, 
only when I insisted upon a suitable man 
being introduced as a cook, could it be re- 
formed. The milk, for instance, had been 
allowed to stand in an open shed all clay, 
allowing every boy who wished to dip 
into it." 

In March it is stated : 

"Dr. Jaeger has become so violent it is 
difficult to keep order in the house. In fact, 
the life of all in the house — all the respon- 
sible members of it — are in constant dan- 
ger. I would not remain except for the 
sake of these poor children who have no re- 
sponsible person to look out for them." 



96 THE LIFE OF 

A little later she writes: 

"I find it no longer possible to remain 
here. It is a great grief to me to think that 
this work, for the establishment of which 
Northern Church people have contributed 
more than $75,000.00, should be lost to the 
Church. Donations of various kinds have 
been received annually without stint, beside 
that given in cash." 

Some time after her departure it came to her 
knowledge that its head, this ex-Rabbi, had con- 
trived to land the title to all this property in his 
own name. Whether it was so placed from the 
outset, or transferred at a later period, is not 
mentioned. 

Nothing further of record is available to 
give fully the sequel to -this dogberry affair. 
But memory enables us to say, it later became a 
public scandal and was, we believe, dealt with 
by the State of Virginia. The ex-Rabbi had 
managed to marry into one of the old Virginia 
families, extensively known and honoured, 
bringing sorrow and mortification to it, and ruin 
of health to the lady he had espoused. 

The narrative of events is resumed in Janu- 
ary, 1899. To quote from her diary: Having 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 97 

returned to Philadelphia, the Sister learned 
that the help of a lay person was needed at St. 
Simeon's Mission for the coloured, an offshoot 
of the Church of the Crucifixion, a coloured 
parish. The priest in charge was ready for 
help, but without funds to sustain one. 
She says: 

"I volunteered to serve, on condition 
that a small room with gas be provided, if 
necessary, in the house of a respectable col- 
oured family, feeling that it was best to 
be in the midst of the work." 
(There were doubtless some facts in the 
following that it was never expected would be 
brought to light, being recorded for her own 
reference, but which should be adapted and in- 
serted to show the self-sacrificing spirit that 
animated her. It will be remembered, too, that 
it was written before anyone had ever impressed 
upon her mind the thought of preparing notes 
for publication. ) To resume : 

A day was spent in getting settled, furnish- 
ing and ordering her room. The fittings pro- 
vided were an iron bedstead and straw mattress, 
a chair and small table, her trunk covered by 
an afghan providing an additional seat. A 



98 THE LIFE OF 

closet, a bucket and basin furnished conveni- 
ences. The table was curtained, where a covered 
tin boiler provided for table service — two plates 
and cups, bowl, knife and fork, spoon, coffee 
pot, and small boiler. 

"Simple but comfortable and happy to 
be again at work. After this outlay I have 
$11.50, which will be sufficient for food for 
ten months." 

An estimate of cost per week is thus figured : 

Oatmeal 3 cents 

Corn Meal - - - 2 " 

Soup Bone 5 " 

Vegetables 2 " 

Bread ---------- 10 " 

Coffee ----- 3 " 

25 " 
"I find the fat from the soup, when 
salted, makes a substitute for butter. I cook 
my food over an arrangement connected 
with the gas. I generally have for dinner 
bread and coffee, or bread and soup. Oat- 
meal for breakfast and corn meal mush foi 
supper, with a little weak coffee and bread. 
This may not seem sumptuous, yet it is all 
I need." 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 99 

In March she says: 

"I have now become pretty well ac- 
quainted with the neighborhood in which my 
work lies. I visit from house to house, give 
Bible readings and instruction in the Prayer 
Book, and how to use it. I have a class 
under instruction for Confirmation. As the 
members of this class cannot well be brought 
together, except on Sundays, as they are 
very backward in knowledge of such things 
as must be learned, I am obliged to visit 
them individually in their own homes. I 
have a class of small children who meet for 
kindergarten instruction from 9 a. m. until 
noon. My sewing class for girls meets every 
Saturday afternoon; mothers' meeting Fri- 
day at 8 p. m. This, including house visit- 
ing, occupies all my time." 
St. Simeon's chancel, through the kindness 
of Mrs. Batterson and other ladies, was put into 
better condition. An altar given by one of the 
city churches replaced the two small tables 
joined, previously in use. The altar Avas sup- 
plied with the necessary accessories, a set of 
altar linen furnished. The chancel with choir 
seats was separated from the nave of the chapel 



100 THE LIFE OF 

by a curtain, for it had to be used for all paro- 
chial purposes. 

In April she details the visit to a poor boy 
on South Street, that she had found : 

"Upon entering the small, dark, upper 
room I found a boy lying on a miserable 
straw bed upon the floor, the room destitute 
of furniture, and the atmosphere hot and 
stifling. The child was very ill, and entirely 
alone. I asked if he had ever gone to 
church. He replied that for some time he 
attended Trinity Church Sunday School on 
Christian Street, He knew he was going to 
die, and wished very much to be baptized. 
I found he had been quite well instructed. 
The case was reported, baptism adminis- 
tered, and in a few days he passed away." 

In May she writes : 

"To-day I have visited nearly every fam- 
ily connected with the mission. I find much 
walking and constant effort very wearing. I 
feel that my health is giving way. The Sun- 
day following I attended the early celebra- 
tion at Trinity Church, very solemn and 
impressive." 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 101 

Then is added: 

"I do not feel like taking np my work in 
the Sunday School this afternoon ; I feel 
languid and spiritless." 

Then follows this meditation: 

"When the Seraphim had touched the 
lips of the prophet with a live coal from off 
the altar, and had assured him that his sin 
was forgiven and his iniquity purged, he 
immediately responded to a call for service, 
a service that was to be lifelong, and fraught 
with pain and weariness and sorrow, and 
ending in martyrdom. When at our sacred 
altar, with our lips we receive that spiritual 
food whereby our bodies are made clean and 
our souls washed by His most precious blood, 
and whereby our most holy and blessed 
Saviour has declared that we are made to 
dwell in Him and He in us, why is it that 
our zeal so soon cools, and our energy so soon 
flags ? Is it not because our faith fails to 
grasp the promises made to us in that Sacra- 
ment ? Ye shall dwell in Me and I in you, 
saith the Incarnate Word, that ye may be 
purified, and day by day conform to My 



102 THE LIFE OF 

Divine Image, and made to share My inher- 
itance and reign with Me in my Kingdom. 
"What amazing possibilities are within 
onr reach ! And yet — 

'Our souls, how heavily they go 
To reach eternal bliss.' " 

Evidently she was about this time at last 
convinced that her active working days were 
almost over. Continuing: 

"I have just received a supply of muslin 
for the sewing school and for the mothers' 
meetings. The mothers purchase all the gar- 
ments they make at cost price." 

Then the Sister farther along records with 
sadness : 

"My health has become so miserable that 
I am obliged to relinquish my connection 
with St. Simeon's Mission. It is a severe 
trial to be obliged to give up this work and 
return to a life of idleness. While I know 
that all the dispensations of our Heavenly 
Father come to us in infinite love, I find it 
difficult to accept what He graciously sends 
me with perfect submission, though I do 
earnestly strive to do so. Seasons of leisure 
and retirement from the world are not with- 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 



103 



out their blessed opportunities, and may not 
be neglected without serious loss to our- 
selves. Introspection and retrospection are 
needful to all; and without special seasons 
for prayer and the study of God's Holy 
Word, our spiritual life can not advance as 
it should." 




CHRIST CHURCH HOSPITAL 

Without recording the day of the month, the 
diary continues without a single additional com- 
ment. 

"January, 1900. Entered Christ 

Church Hospital." 

Between the time of discontinuing work at 
St. Simeon's Coloured Mission and the date of 
the above entry, there is nothing that can be 
authentically given for the period intervening. 
Sister Sarah, we believe, spent a portion of this 
time at the home of her childhood, and in visits 
to relatives and friends, who were always ready 
to entertain her. These months represented a 
period when she was awaiting a vacancy for 
admission to the hospital. There is always a list 
of applicants for admission, well filled ahead, 
that has in each case to allow of the order of 
turn. 

There are many personal letters in posses- 
sion, written from time to time from the hospi- 




SISTER SARAH 

Aet. 83 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 105 

tal, that are either undated or deficiently dated, 
and which could with forethought have been 
marked with the day of receipt, had any later 
use thereof been in mind. Such extracts will be 
made as may prove of interest, without any 
order of rotation, together with meditations 
written at various times or seasons. 

''February 2. Have received letter from 
the Bev. Norman Harris, who was with us 
in residence at the Lynchburg Asylum. He 
seems to be doing good work at Hammond, 
La. His letters are always interesting and 
pleasant. I regard his friendship as one of 
the great blessings of my life." 

"Here is a clear case of 'casting bread 
upon the waters', returned, as many would 
say, in an extraordinary manner, to say the 
least. Yesterday I noticed in The Church- 
man an appeal for the famine stricken 
children in China; there was also a picture 
of a group of wretched little skeletons which 
strongly appealed to my sympathy. What 
could I do ? I had but one dollar, and that I 
needed for immediate necessities. My first 
thought was to send twenty-five cents ; 
finally I decided to send the dollar. The 
same dav in the evening I went to see a sick 



106 THE LIFE OF 

friend, a member of our family. As soon 
as I entered the room she said to me, 'Will 
you give me my purse out of that drawer V 
Upon doing as requested, she took out a 
crisp dollar bill and handing it to me said, 
'I want you to take this.' I replied, 'What 
for V to which she said, 'Oh, nothing, only 
I felt I just wanted you to have it.' Who 
can doubt from whence it came, 'even from 
Him who knoweth what things we need.' ' 

The life at Christ Church Hospital gave 
opportunity for attentive reading and reflection. 
She conducted correspondence with many 
friends, and with those in whom she had a 
special interest; and not only was she able to 
advise, but to influence some into a better and 
more matured line of thought. She kept herself 
well informed as to the Church and all the mis- 
sionary work conducted throughout the world, 
as directed not only by the Church of her own 
native land, but by that of England, upon every 
continent of the globe. She read very thor- 
oughly the publications of both this country and 
England issued under Church influence, 
enabling her to absorb and understand by 
knowledge the progress of the work as it ad- 



OXE OF GOD'S SAIXTS 107 

vanced everywhere. This was a great advantage, 
for it enabled her to meet much inaccurate and 
defective, as well as deficient, knowledge, which 
in the case of many people is simply a misfor- 
tune that cannot be overestimated. Her knowl- 
edge of theology under some of its heads enabled 
her to meet the arguments of those with a defi- 
cient or erroneous conception. In a letter ad- 
dressed to some friend (unrevealed), of which 
she kept a copy, the following extract is taken : 

"With regard to the sermon and its doc- 
trine of the Atonement, I think we have 
always to remember that, while our Lord's 
death was a full, perfect, and sufficient sac- 
rifice, atonement, and satisfaction for the 
sins of the whole world, and so this is a 
doctrine of the faith, the manner how it was 
such is not stated, and any attempt at a full 
explanation is only a pious opinion. There 
have been theories of the Atonement from 
the beginning. The idea of a ransom paid 
(and to Satan) was, I think, the earliest. 
The vicarious theory was formulated by St. 
Augustine, and again by St. Anselm (I wish 
you would read the writings of the early 
Fathers). The mercantile idea of so much 



108 THE LIFE OF 

paid for so much sin, became a favorite one 
before and after the Reformation. 

"Your exegesis of the text, 'He who 
knew no sin became sin for us', seems to me 
to be hardly correct, in view of the fact that 
an offering for sin in Holy Scripture is fre- 
quently called sin. Gen. iv. 7. 'Sin a victim 
at the door' ; so also Iieb. ix. 28. The fact 
of our redemption, not its method or man- 
ner, is of faith. 

"How long, my clear friend, will you 
continue to theorize ? Why stand shivering 
outside the door of our Father's house, while 
within are blessed stores of wealth to supply 
our need ? Those who have received the sac- 
raments, and lived up to them, have been 
happy while here, and have died sustained 
by a blessed hope of immortality. That 
some deny their necessity amounts to 
nothing. The Sadducees denied the Resur- 
rection; others in turn have denied every 
article of the Christian faith. That there 
are 'so many who have received the Sacra- 
ments without benefit' does not disprove 
their value. The woman spoken of by St. 
Luke, who said, 'If I may but touch the hem 
of His garment I shall be made whole', was 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 109 

restored to health, while the unbelieving 
multitude that pressed Him on every side 
departed unblessed. The unbelieving 
Syrian, when bidden by the prophet to wash 
in Jordan's stream, departed from the 
prophet 'in a rage' ; believing, he washed and 
was cleansed from his leprosy. By faith, we 
appropriate every blessing. Doubt and un- 
belief are devices of Satan to prevent us 
from entering the kingdom of Heaven. The 
cleansing of Kaamau was a type of baptism. 
"You believe all the articles of the Chris- 
tian faith as contained in the creed. You 
desire to become a Christian — a faithful 
servant of God. Then delay not. 'Be bap- 
tized for the remission of sins.' The Ethi- 
opian eunuch, as soon as he heard of Christ, 
said, 'See, here is water, what doth hinder 
me from being baptized?' and he was bap- 
tized, and went on his way rejoicing. Such 
joy may not come to all upon their entrance 
into the kingdom of God ; but, by the faith- 
ful use of the means of grace which the 
Church offers, it cannot fail to come. Our 
love grows as we increase in the knowledge 
of God; like the tiny streamlet that issues 
from the mountain slope, it is continually 



110 THE LIFE OF 

widening and deepening until it is lost in 
the fathomless depths of the ocean. 

"Bliss, all bliss excelling, 

When the ransomed soul, 
Earthly toil forgetting, 

Finds its promised goal; 
When in joys unheard of 

Saints and Angels sing, 
Never weary raising 

Praises to their King." 

This copy following of a letter to another 
friend, regarding the state of the faithful de- 
parted, shows the distinctness of her faith in 
this truth. 

"You seem to regard the happiness of 
that blessed world above to consist chiefly 
in a happy reunion with loved ones from 
whom by death we have been parted. I 
know there are many who feel in this respect 
just as you do. It is natural and right that 
we should rejoice in the hope of an eternal 
reunion with those to whom we were closely 
united by nature, or in the bonds of friend- 
ship. But should these truths occupy the 
first place in our thoughts, or stir our deep- 
est emotions, when we contemplate 'the rest 
that remaineth for the children of God' ? 



OXE OF GOL'S SAINTS 111 

Iii Christ only can perfect rest and happi- 
ness be found, either in this world, or in the 
world to come. Let us ever bear in mind the 
fact, that to Christ we owe every blessing 
that we enjoy, or can enjoy, either in this 
world, or in that which is to come. Christ 
has redeemed us from sin and death. He 
has incorporated us into His mystical Body, 
the Church, thus making us partakers of 
His Divine Nature, that hereafter we may 
become partakers of His glory. The love 
of Christ, our Lord, is beyond human 
thought or imagination. We do not know 
in what relation we shall hereafter stand to 
those whom we have loved or known on 
earth; but we do know that both we and 
they will be one in purpose and in effort ; 
and that our deepest emotions will centre in 
our Divine Lord and Redeemer, in whose 
kingdom we shall be united in unwearied 
and joyful service. In the words of another, 
'we shall there enjoy the manifestation of 
God in mind, heart, and conscience, in the 
beauty of His character. When that vision 
of glory shall be granted to us, every part 
of our transformed nature will be filled with 



1.12 THE LIFE OF 

the rapture of it, and raised to the highest 
of living in virtue of it' ! 

"Banish from your mind the thought 
that Heaven will be peopled in self-centered 
groups or families, chiefly for selfish enjoy- 
ment. In that blessed world selfishness will 
be unknown, for all will have the mind of 
Christ. Every soul and heart will be filled 
with love, which will find expression in joy- 
ful service. When all the redeemed shall 
have been gathered in, we shall realize that 
the kingdom above will be a vast and wisely 
organized kingdom, people of every nation 
and kindred. In that kingdom there will be 
priests, whose privilege it will ever be to 
offer praises and thanksgivings to God. 
There will be kings who will reign with 
Christ. It is recorded that the twelve 
Apostles will sit upon twelve thrones judg- 
ing the twelve tribes of Israel — that is, all 
Christ's people under both the old and new 
dispensation. Whether this refers to 
Christ's kingdom here, or whether it refers 
to His kingdom above, I know not. It may 
have reference to both His kingdom here on 
earth, and to that beyond. It certainly de- 
notes that they will occupy prominent posi- 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 113 

tions. We are informed that, as precious 
stones, they adorn the foundation of the 
New Jerusalem. The parable of the ten 
talents is suggestive of authority, and also of 
degrees of office. The Kingdom of Christ 
will include various types and grades of 
saints : there will be those who have passed a 
long life of faithful service to our Lord ; it 
will also include the newly-born convert, 
who has entered the kingdom naked as it 
were, and undeveloped. All will be perfectly 
happy according to the capacity of each. 
The infant smiling up into its mother's face 
is perfectly happy, but it is not the happi- 
ness that comes with a fuller development, 
and a more perfect apprehension of a 
parent's wisdom and love. Progress and 
development are the universal law of all 
created beings. Christ will be everywhere 
present to all. He will manifest Himself 
and His Glory to all, according to their ca- 
pacity of perception. Moses' face shone 
by reflection of the Divine, but the people 
on a lower plane could not behold the face 
of Moses, unveiled. Is it not a blessed 
thought the redeemed will go from strength 
to strength and from glory to glory through 



114 THE LIFE OF 

all the ages of eternity ? And yet we shall 
never be able to fathom the unsearchable 
love of Christ. By what means we shall 
be developed, or through what instrument- 
ality, we know not. Perhaps a careful 
study of Christ's Church or Kingdom on 
earth may be suggestive. Christ's King- 
dom here is — or was intended to be — a unit. 
Christ dwells in the midst. He is its life, 
its guide, its inspiration; and through His 
appointed means, through the person of the 
Holy Spirit, He imparts His gifts to us. 
We each have our guardian angel to min- 
ister to our necessities; and we learn from 
Holy Scripture that angels are appointed to 
govern the world and the affairs of man in 
the interests of the Church. You can study 
the subject out for yourself. 

a One more thought comes to me. Our 
Lord has said that in His Father's house 
there 'are many mansions.' May not these 
mansions be various spheres, or worlds, 
adapted to the various needs of the re- 
deemed ? May they not be what we call 
Paradise ? St. Paul tells us that he was 
caught up into Paradise, into the third 
heaven, where he beheld wonderful things. 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 115 

It is not necessary to suppose that in the 

various departments of Paradise we shall 

be entirely separated from former friends. 

We shall have spiritual bodies. We shall 

live under entirely new conditions." 

The foregoing shows deep thought and a 

full knowledge of the subjects dealt with. The 

Sister had much opportunity for meditation. 

The following, for successive seasons, written 

in her ■ leisure at the hospital under different 

years, can be read with benefit. 

Ash Wednesday, 1908 
"The Church now, in language both 
solemn and impressive, bids us to withdraw 
for a season from the world and worldly 
pursuits, that we may give the more earnest 
heed to those things which make for that 
eternal life to which we are all hastening. 
Our life is as it were a dream, so quickly 
it passes away, and yet how profoundly 
solemn are its issues. 

"Each Lenten season is full of blessed 
opportunities ; it also involves tremendous 
responsibilities. It may afford untold bless- 
ings, or it may rise up in judgment against 



116 THE LIFE OF 

Lenten Thoughts, 1909 
"Wearied by toil and the restlessness of 
the multitude that came to hear Him, or to 
be healed of their infirmities, Jesus said to 
His disciples, 'Come ye apart into a desert 
place, and rest awhile. 7 Each year as the 
Lenten season comes to us, the Church re- 
peats the call, 'Come ye apart and rest 
awhile,' withdrawing from distracting cares 
and worldly pleasures that ye may seek spir- 
itual rest and refreshment." 

"Through meditation sweet, serene and soft, 
The mind in beauty rapt is borne aloft, 
Is lifted high on inspiration's wings, 
Beholds the grandeur of celestial things." 

"From the cares and perplexities of 
business and from the exacting claims of 
social life, regular seasons for physical rest 
and recuperation are generally deemed to be 
indispensable. No less needful to our inner 
life are set seasons for spiritual renewal 
and growth. How quickly our span of life 
passes away, yet how wonderfully glorious 
are its possibilities. Very grave also are 
its responsibilities. That we may be 
quickened to a deeper sense of our privi- 
leges and responsibilities, and that we may 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 117 

obtain an increase of grace and strength to 
meet all the conditions and opportunities 
of life, the Church gives us this quiet season 
of Lent, with its blessed opportunities 
and its gracious ministrations. Daily the 
Church opens her doors for prayer, inter- 
cession, and thanksgiving. In the Sanc- 
tuary of God ever dwells the Divine Pres- 
ence, and in realizing that Presence, 'there 
is fulness of joy.' Our emotions may 
be quickened, and our purposes greatly 
strengthened by a devotional study of the 
Holy Scriptures. Indeed, it seems impos- 
sible for the mind to dwell on the Infinite 
love of God as revealed in Christ, and as 
made manifest to us in the Gospels, with- 
out being moved to adoration and love. 

"Charitable activities are indispensable 
to this Holy Season, but they cannot take 
the place of those spiritual energies that lie 
at the root of all successful effort. It has 
been well said that Sve must first win and 
bring the perfect offering of ourselves before 
we can rightly do God's work; that there is 
that within us which must first be overcome 
before we can safely encounter that which 
is without.' A cup must be full before it 



118 THE LIFE OF 

can overflow ; we must don the armor if we 
would win in the strife. During this Holy 
Season it is our privilege to enter into a 
closer fellowship with our Divine Lord, who, 
in His great love for a perishing world, 
withdrew into the wilderness, there to con- 
tend with and to conquer the dread foe of 
man. (Isaiah 1. 8.) 

" 'High thoughts were with Him in that hour, 
Untold, unspeakable on earth.' 

"There in that awful, shadowy retreat, 
and in silence unbroken, save by the howl- 
ing of wild beasts of the desert, shelterless, 
weary, unsustained by food and with no 
human voice to cheer or to comfort, our 
Blessed Lord kept vigil by day and by night. 
Prone upon the cold, hard earth, He poured 
out His soul in prayer to God. As we pic- 
ture to ourselves our Gracious Redeemer 
during those forty days of weariness, pain, 
and conflict, how vividly comes to mind the 
prophetic word of the Psalmist, 'I cry unto 
Thee in the day-time, and in the night sea- 
son I take no rest. I am weary with my 
crying, my throat is dry, my sight faileth 
waiting for my God.' In that season of 



ONE OF GOD'S SAIXTS 119 

bitter trial and conflict, our Great Kedeemer 
descended to the lowest depths of humilia- 
tion, subjecting Himself to the fiercest and 
most subtle assaults of the dread power of 
darkness. Finally, victorious in every trial 
and temptation, our Lord 'in the power of 
the spirit' returned to the world, having by 
His victories made victory possible to man. 
"Can we reflect upon what our Re- 
deemer has done and suffered for us and our 
redemption, and yet refuse to take up our 
cross by acts of humiliation, and self-denial, 
and thus follow in His footsteps, though it 
be afar off \ So at the close of this peni- 
tential season, we may pass to a joyful 
Easter, and being strengthened by the 
Easter Eucharist, we shall be enabled to go 
forth prepared to meet whatever joys or 
trials the future may hold in store for us." 

Eve of Good Friday, 1911 

"Go to dark Gethsemane. 

Ye that feel the tempter's power; 
Your Redeemer's conflict see, 

Watch with Him one bitter hour, — 
Turn not from His griefs away. 

Learn of Jesus Christ to pray."' 

"At the foot of the cross we now, in 



120 THE LIFE OF 

penitence and humility, contemplate and 
memorialize the most awful and most won- 
derful event in the history of man. Christ, 
the King of Glory, the Creator and maker 
of all things, having laid aside His glory 
and clothed Himself in our humanity — 
thus identifying Himself with the human 
race — now comes forth to redeem man from 
sin and death, and to 'open to him the gates 
of everlasting life.' 

"On the eve of Good Friday, our Lord, 
oppressed by the weight of coming events, 
entered the 'upper room/ that had been pre- 
pared for Him, that He 'might eat the pass- 
over with His disciples.' As they sat at 
meat, Jesus forewarned His disciples of 
His betrayal by Judas, and of His own ap- 
proaching death. After supper He insti- 
tuted the Sacrament of His Blessed Body 
and Blood as 'a perpetual memorial of His 
Passion.' How gently, then, our Lord re- 
proves His disciples for their ambitious 
aspirations ! How Divinely beautiful is the 
practical lesson He gives them in humilia- 
tion and self-abnegation ! How tenderly 
He prays for His impulsive and warm- 
hearted disciple, St. Peter ! In that sacred 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 121 

supper-room, our Lord committed to His 
Apostles the work of establishing His King- 
dom on earth (St. Luke xxii. 23), assuring 
them of His perpetual presence and sup- 
port; for, saith He, 'Ye shall eat and drink 
at My table in My Kingdom.' To His 
Apostles, who must have been bewildered 
and perplexed at such a commission, and 
under the circumstances so obscure, there 
came a voice from heaven bringing the 
assurance that He who had given the com- 
mission was Divine, and that He would 
again resume the glory He had laid aside. 
Finally, in words beautiful, full of comfort 
and encouragement and strength, words that 
have been to the Church a rich heritage in 
every generation, our Lord comforts His 
sorrowing disciples. From that sacred 
upper room, our great Redeemer passed into 
the shadow of Gethsemane. There in 
mighty conflict, He conquered the powers 
of darkness, and overcame him who had the 
powers of death. From the conflict of 
Gethsemane, calmly and in perfect self- 
possession, Jesus went forth to meet Judas 
and his band of persecutors. With what 
dignity and majesty He addresses them ! 



122 THE LIFE OF 

Considerately our Lord opens the way for 
the escape of His terrified disciples. How 
meekly He suffers Himself to be bound and 
led forth as a criminal before the rulers of 
the Jews, by whom He was mocked, derided, 
and treated with such indignity as malice 
only could suggest, yet as a 'sheep before his 
shearers He opened not His mouth.' By 
the Roman soldiers He was arrayed in 
robes of mock royalty, His sacred head was 
encircled by a crown of thorns, and the reecl 
in His hand was made an instrument of 
torture. Mocked, derided, spitted upon and 
scourged, He who came to save man was by 
man condemned to the death of the cross. 
Who can estimate, or what imagination can 
picture the anguish and sorrow endured by 
our Blessed Redeemer during the tragic day 
we now in penitence memorialize ? Wearily 
and painfully bearing His cross, Jesus — 
ever blessed name — ascended the Hill of 
Calvary. Not unmarked by a scene of 
pathos was that journey. On the summit of 
Calvary, suspended on the cross, our Lord 
and Redeemer bears the sins of the whole 
human race, 'the sins of all were laid upon 
, Him,' 'Lie tasted death for every man.' 






ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 123 

Our sins rolled like an ocean between Him 
and God, and out of the deep of it He cried, 
'My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken 
Me !' How touchingly the Psalmist por- 
trays the physical anguish of our Lord: 'I 
am poured out like water, all my bones are 
out of joint, my heart also in the midst of 
my body is like melted wax. My strength 
is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue 
cleaveth to my gums. Thou shalt bring me 
down to the dust of death.' And what a 
scene below and about the cross ! (Ps. 
xi., xii., xiii.) How absolute was the deso- 
lation of our Redeemer ! Could death 
have met its victim under circumstances of 
more unmitigated horror and anguish ? 'All 
ye that pass by, behold and see if there is 
any sorrow equal unto my sorrow which is 
brought upon me' (Lam. i. 12). As the 
angels hovered about and above the cross, 
with what wonder and awe must they have 
viewed the awful and tragic scene. Nature 
seemed to sympathize. 'The earth quaked, 
the rocks were rent,' and darkness cast a 
veil over a scene too strange and awful for 
the sun to behold. How beautifully the 
Prophet refers to the wonderful events of 



124 THE LIFE OF 

this sacred day: 'It shall come to pass in 
that day there shall be no light. The bright 
ones shall withdraw themselves, but it shall 
be one day that shall be known nnto the 
Lord, not day and not night, but it shall 
come to pass at evening there shall be light. 
And it shall come to pass in that day that 
living water shall go out from Jerusalem/ 
What a glorious sequel to a day so full of 
unutterable woes and tremendous events; 
a fountain opened for all uncleanness." 

Easter Day, 1905 
(In her 77th Year) 

"I found several inches of snow had 
fallen during the night. It was much 
drifted in places. I set out for St. Asaph's 
Church for the 7 :30 celebration of the Holy 
Eucharist. The roads were unbroken and 
the snow was deep in places, so that I did 
not reach the church until a few minutes 
before the service began. The rector, the 
Rev. Harrison B. Wright, was celebrant. 
The service was inexpressibly sweet and 
solemn. I realized the overshadowing pres- 
ence of our Divine and Risen Lord. The 
very atmosphere seemed to breathe the salu- 






OXE OF GOD'S SAINTS 125 

tation 'The Lord has risen,' and brought to 
us life and immortality." 
With the passing of the years, Sister Sarah 
gradually found herself unable to endure any 
but limited exertion. Several periods of illness 
came, more or less prolonged, which her vitality 
enabled her to survive, although realizing her 
diminishing strength. 

In July, 1912, she writes: 

"I am not what I was a year ago, either 

mentally or physically. After having been 

brought to the verge of time, to the very 

gate that separates time from eternity, one 

realizes how vain are worldly pursuits and 

worldly pleasures. What a wonderfully 

gracious and glorious gift life is, when 

viewed in the light of glorious eternity." 

After the close of 1912 she was again taken 

ill, which proved to be her final visitation. She 

passed, on February 13th, "to that rest that re- 

maineth for the people of God." 

The following notice as to her death and in- 
terment is from the Mid-Lent number of The 
Brooklyn Cripple News: 

"The Prayer Book, in its office for the 
Dead, recites this petition: 'We give Thee 



120 THE LIFE OF 

hearty thanks for the good examples of all 
those Thy servants, who, having finished 
their course in faith, do now rest from their 
labors.' 

"And so we bless God for the life that 
Sister Sarah, our friend, as well as the 
friend of all the poor, wretched and help- 
less, was able to give, yielding it up just 
before the first watch of Friday, February 
1-i, 1913, aged 86, when she passed peace- 
fully into the joys 'of Paradise the blest,' 
to dwell in light and refreshment until the 
Great Day. Mercy, Lord Jesu!" 

Faithful to her God, to her birthright in the 
Faith, to her fellow creatures, nothing ever came 
between herself and duty ; no sacrifice was too 
great to be made. She believed that her Faith 
was true. 

Retiring from all active work soon after at- 
taining her seventy-fourth year, she spent the re- 
mainder of her days at Christ Church Hospital, 
a Hospice or Home for gentlewomen, founded in 
1772 by a member of Christ Church, Philadel- 
phia. During more recent years, this Hospital, 
located within extensive and beautiful grounds 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 127 

in the suburbs of that city, was liberally en- 
dowed. 

Upon the following Monday, after the Office 
for the Dead had been said by the Chaplain in 
the Chapel of the House, her body was carried 
to its cemetery adjacent, and committed to the 
ground by her spiritual pastor, the Reverend 
Harrison B. Wright, Rector of the nearby 
Church of St. Asaph's, Bala, Pennsylvania. 

Snow had freshly fallen, and the earth, in 
its pall of white, was in contrast with that cross 
quartered of violet, which covered the coffin. 
The chastened face, peaceful and serene, spoke 
the happiness of her translation, an impressive 
setting to the simple garb in which her body 
was clothed, that in which she had been so long 
known. In her coffin, this sombre habit with its 
dependent cross had been entirely strewn with 
fresh white carnations, sent by the cripples of 
the House of St. Giles the Cripple, at Garden 
City, Long Island, a parting expression of their 
veneration and love. 

With the bestowal of the blessing from the 
Visitation Office, all took leave, placing her 
body in the guardianship of the Holy Angels 
into whose hands her Heavenly Father had un- 
doubtedly committed her soul. A single wreath 



128 THE LIFE OF 

of great beauty and large size was placed upon 
the grave, sent by her old and faithful friend, 
Dr. Burr Burton Mosher, Surgeon-in-Chief of 
St. Giles' House. 

"And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long, 
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song, 
And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong." 

AVhile the burial service was being held in 
Philadelphia, a memorial service was conducted 
at the Chapel of St. Giles, the whole family ob- 
serving the time reverently and solemnly. 

While this loss is felt so deeply by all who 
are in the House, it is a more personal grief to 
the six boys and girls who are still here as they 
were when the dear Sister lived and moved 
among them. 



This hymn would have been the Sister's 
adoring prayer. 

"My faith looks up to Thee, 
Thou Lamb of Calvary, 

Saviour divine! 
Now hear me while I pray; 
Take all my guilt away; 
Oh, let me from this day 

Be wholly Thine! 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 

"May Thy rich grace impart 
Strength to my fainting heart, 

My zeal inspire; 
As Thou hast died for me, 
Oh, may my love to Thee 
Pure, warm, and changeless be, 

A living fire. 

"While life's dark maze I tread, 
And griefs around me spread, 

Be Thou my guide; 
Bid darkness turn to day; 
Wipe sorrow's tears away; 
Nor let me ever stray 
From Thee aside! 

"When ends life's transient dream, 
When death's cold, sullen stream 

Shall o'er me roll; 
Blest Saviour, then in love, 
Fear and distrust remove; 
Oh, bear me safe above, 

A ransomed soul!" 



129 



rM m • 



PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 

The surroundings of the childhood of 
Sarah Maria Kirke had everything to do with 
the formation of a character that, as years 
passed by, developed more and more her inher- 
ent principles towards a fulness both in love and 
faith. Her ancestry was strongly of the Church. 
Tier early days, around the family hearthside 
she has so well described, unfolded the religious 
traits that underlay her mind. The local ig- 
norances prevailing had much to do with so 
isolating the family from contact in an atmos- 
phere vitiated with noxious intellectual poison 
as to remove one possible source of danger that 
might have affected the expanding mind. As 
it was, she did not escape the baneful influences 
in some other way, that so largely prevailed 
in those days. In a letter written long ago, 
she says: 

"When about fifteen, my mind became 
greatly disturbed and perplexed by reading 
some skeptical books that fell into my 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 131 

hands," (from personal knowledge, her 
father would never have permitted such 
anywhere) "a fact I carefully concealed 
from every one. After many conflicts and 
research after truth, this unhappy condition 
gave place to more rational views. I was 
then led to connect myself with the Church 
(by Confirmation) and to assume the du- 
ties thereby involved so far as I understood 
them. My infrequent communions were 
made simply as a memorial, and in obedi- 
ence to the command of our Blessed Lord. 
I had no real conception of its gracious and 
wonderful purposes, or the inexpressible 
benefits to be derived from a faithful recep- 
tion thereof. It is true I had long been fa- 
miliar with that wonderfully clear com- 
pendium of our Christian faith, the Church 
Catechism, yet its truths had never appealed 
to my mind." 

Her strength of character enabled her to 
throw off this danger at a period when the infec- 
tion might have taken possession. It was so too 
with an uncle who, in his early days, came un- 
der the influence of the same character of per- 
nicious literature, but was able to finally reject 



132 THE LIFE OF 



it, afterwards taking Holv Orders in tk 



Church. A spinster cousin of her father's, a 
life-long member of St. Peter's, Philadelphia, 
before her death a few years ago, told a relative 
that she had almost two hundred God-children 
among the less favoured younger generation of 
the parish, that she had never lost sight of, but 
had kept up, in some way, her personal influ- 
ence with. These show the family type of 
loyalty to their God. Her father she alludes 
to in old letters in this manner (1869) : 

" Three weeks ago my father departed 

this life. I feel as if all joy and brightness 

had gone out of my life." 
Later, she quoted these words : 

"Oh, for the touch of a vanished hand, 
And the sound of a voice that is still." 

"My father was always cheerful." 
It may be safely said, our departed Sister 
was always consistent in every position in which 
she was placed. She could not be swayed from 
any principle. She was never affected in re- 
ligious questions by objections, however strong, 
which she knew to be contrary to the faith of 
the Church. In these questions she endeavoured 
to correct in those who were weak, and had mere 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS L33 

sentimental or illogical opinions, such defective 
conclusions as so commonly, we regret to say, 
prevail among members of the Church, entirely 
through neglected or defective instruction. In 
these things she had at one time shared; but 
the strong, unanswerable arguments that she 
heard later on saved her from weakness, doubt, 
or the proselytizing that often happens in such 
instances. This was during the early seventies, 
when the members of the Church in very many 
places became affected by a "nightmare," as it 
has well been called, which took years to pass 
off, and has not yet been overcome by some. 
Sister Sarah was never affected by such clamor 
and fright. Her vision was clear. What can 
better express this than the following portions 
from an old personal letter, long preserved, in 
reference to "innovations," as such things were 
termed at Christ Church, Reading, Pennsyl- 
vania, referred to under phases of her life in 
that city about the period named. 

"When the Rev. J. Pinkney Hammond 
became rector of Christ Church, he imme- 
diately instituted daily celebrations of the 
Holy Communion at an early hour, and 
also, as provided in the Prayer Book, daily 
and evening prayer. A vested 



134 THE LIFE OF 

choir of men and boys was also organized. 
These innovations caused intense excite- 
ment both within the parish and throughout 
the city. The usual cry of popery became 
general, the rector being subjected to cruel 
misrepresentation and petty persecution. 

"One Sunday evening a young friend 
called upon me and requested that I would 
go with her to Christ Church, saying, 'I do 
want to see what sort of doings there are 
there. They say it is rank popery, they 
even put flowers on the altar to worship.' 
Directly after entering, the white-robed 
choristers proceeded up the aisle singing 
'Onward, Christian Soldiers.' The voices 
were very sweet and clear, the full musical 
notes of the rector being most distinct. My 
friend whisjDered to me, 'Is it not heavenly ? 
It seems like a vision of Angels.' The ser- 
vice was beautifully intoned, and was very 
impressive. I never before so fully realized 
the exceeding beauty and solemnity of the 
Church service of the long ages of the past. 
My young friend was in tears most of the 
time. The sermon had for its text, 'Except 
a man be born of water and the spirit, he 
cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.' It 



OXE OF GOD'S SAINTS 135 

was opened by stating that the terms 'regen- 
eration' and 'conversion' were regarded by 
many as being synonymous. Regeneration 
was illustrated by the bursting of a bud 
into a tree or vine which, by being nour- 
ished by the sap, finally became so incor- 
porated with the parent stock that it is 
finally identified with it, partaking of its 
nature and character. Regeneration takes 
us out of the Kingdom of Satan, and intro- 
duces us into the Kingdom of God — the 
Church/ 'By one spirit ye are all baptized 
into one body,' therein to be nourished, in- 
structed and trained, by the Word, the Sac- 
raments and prayer until spiritual maturity 
be attained. 

"Conversion was explained as turning 
from evil to that which is good, illustrated 
by the Prodigal Son, and from various texts 
in the Old and New Testaments. Conver- 
sion, it was said, might be accompanied by 
a deep sense of sin and strong emotions, or 
there might be but comparatively little emo- 
tion or realization of the evil of sin. The 
proof of true conversion lies in the fact of 
turning from sin and seeking righteousness. 
By this, and this alone, is the true test of 



136 THE LIFE OF 

the genuineness of conversion. Repentance 
was declared to be a life-long act, as the 
more we learn of the character, the great- 
ness, and the love and purity of God, and 
the more we realize the nature and conse- 
quences of sin, and the attitude in which 
it places us in respect to God, the deeper 
and more sincere will be our repentance, 
and the more earnest our efforts to become 
free from its influence." 

The excitement in this provincial place over 
the inroads upon a Protestant Truths" was in- 
tense, to the point of mental disorder. To con- 
tinue : 

"The truths of that sermon had never 
so appealed to me. The Sacraments, which 
to me had been little more than badges of 
Church membership, now became vital 
truths ; they seemed to take hold of my very 
being, often forcing me into activities for 
which I was unprepared." 
She continues: 

"A few weeks ago I received a letter 
from a lady, in which she writes, 'It seems 
to me to be against reason to suppose that 
a little water can wash away sin, or that a 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 137 

little bread and wine can have any spiritual 
efficacy.' Yet she professes to believe all 
the articles of the Christian faith. Did not 
Christ become incarnate by the power of the 
Holy Ghost, taking to Himself a human, 
a material body, thus identifying Himself 
with humanity ? Then, wherein is it un- 
reasonable to suppose that, by the power of 
the Holy Ghost, through material elements 
which He sanctifies, His Divinity should be 
conveyed to our humanity, making us one 
with Him ? We admit that grace did flow 
through personal contact with Him while 
on earth, to the purifying and healing of 
humanity. Can we doubt that, by a faith- 
ful reception of the Spiritual Body and 
Blood of our Blessed Lord, sin is pardoned 
and grace received, since He tells us plainly 
that by receiving this Sacrament He dwells 
in us and we in Him (St. John v. 56) ? 
Our humanity thus being united to His Di- 
vine Person. When these truths are real- 
ized, how trifling personal considerations 
and worldly pursuits become." 

The young friend whose curiosity had been 
aroused by the rumors and had accompanied her 



138 THE LIFE OF 

to that Sunday evening service and heard the 
sermon mentioned, is referred to in after years 
very briefly by these words : "She was, by the 
sermon we then heard, brought into the Church. 
She is now doing mission work among the poor 
in the mountains of Virginia." 

The embracing of a professed life by Sister 
Sarah has been a cause of frequent incorrect 
statements, some even publicly denying for her 
a fact of which such knew nothing. 

It was natural, in fact an outcome of reason, 
that one with her mind must stand aright in the 
Church in undertaking such work as she pro- 
posed. She passed what was, in fact, a novi- 
tiate of many months in the Community of St. 
Mary, at the House of Mercy, Inwood, and at 
St. Mary's Free Hospital for Children, 34th 
Street, New York. She says in reference to 
this period of training: 

"It was circumstances, not inclination, 

however, that have excluded me from the 

privileges of community life." 

She would certainly have entered this life 
in an order of Deaconesses, but for the attitude 
of Bishop Clarkson of those days. Her train- 
ing at Sf. Mary's put a mark upon her that re- 



OXE OF GOD'S SAIXTS 139 

mained to the end. She wore the collar of the 
novice, and her dress and cross closely re- 
sembled, in some respects, those of the order 
mentioned. 

When she returned East from Omaha, a 
letter states, her full intention, after some fur- 
ther training in hospital work, was to enter an 
order; but the cause of the destitute crippled 
of tender years came to her in an unusual way, 
and thus changed the course of her life. 

An expression as to the value of a religious 
life will not be inappropriate here ; words re- 
plying to a friend's inquiry : 

"I have not been permitted to enjoy 
the quiet, secluded life I desired. From 
my own observation and from personal ex- 
perience, I am strongly inclined to think 
that the order of Deaconesses is preferable 
to that of Sisterhoods — that is, when dea- 
conesses can enjoy the privilege of Com- 
munity life. "We all need rest and periods 
of spiritual refreshment, and time for medi- 
tation and study of God's Holy Word. I 
have always realized this. I feel that my 
influence for good on those under my care 
would have been better, and my work far 
more effective, had T had more leisure and 



140 THE LIFE OF 

better opportunities to fit myself for the 
duties that have devolved upon me. For 
many years, from twelve to fifteen hours 
daily, some duty or care has demanded my 
attention or engaged my time. I am never 
free from care and anxiety. And, to an 
uninterrupted night's sleep, I have long been 
a stranger. In consequence, my nerves 
have suffered, so that self-control is often 
difficult. I would advise you therefore to 
choose your work in connection with a Com- 
munity if possible; of course, if you con- 
template parish work, this may not be pos- 
sible. Nevertheless, do not suffer your 
time to be taken up with active duties. 
Should you decide to enter a Community, 
I should recommend that of St. Mary's, 
New York, long established. The training 
is good, and will be serviceable in any de- 
partment of Church work." 

From a letter to a friend, written some years 
since, extract is made to introduce a subject that 
had much to do with the success of her several 
efforts : 

"I early learned to be thoughtful and 

considerate, and thus I acquired habits of 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 141 

energy, industry, and economy. I have 
sometimes been charged with undue econ- 
omy, but no one knew, as I did, the neces- 
sity of rigid economy for many years after 
the death of my mother." 

This charge of "economy" was in truth, 
frugality — a necessity — a virtue in the decades 
previous to the twentieth century. Without 
frugality, the Houses she founded might have 
died of inanition. Yet the gossip of a nig- 
gardly feeding of the children, at one time cir- 
culated in Brooklyn, was both false and shame- 
ful. 

On the other hand, a trustee responsible for 
motives of economy once had to be reported in 
a Board meeting by the Sister, as having treated 
disbursements in a "stingy" manner. 
As to St. Giles', she has said: 

"I find many discouragements here. I 
never had so many difficulties and discour- 
agements." 

But the impelling motive for referring to 
this subject is, to bring attention to the diffi- 
culty the Church has in financially administer- 
ing her charities under the best conditions of 
integrity and economy, and yet secular and 



142 THE LIFE OF 

individual undertakings have money lavished 
upon their upkeep. In truth there was one 
institution that Sister Sarah visited, and upon 
which she left in writing just and reasonable 
comments. It was one of those undenomina- 
tional institutions where crippled children born 
in the slums are so treated as to involve a cost 
per capita of as much as the most fashionable 
boarding school would exact for a rich pupil. 
To such a degree has sentimentalism been al- 
lowed to run riot in these things, that the diffi- 
culties of other institutions, properly and care- 
fully conducted, have been greatly augmented. 
These words that follow will emphasize our 
remarks : 

"Yes, I fully realized the difficulties and 
discouragements involved in such an un- 
dertaking. In fact, discouragements con- 
fronted me on every side, but a sense of 
duty has outweighed every other considera- 
tion." 

This can all be digested with comments left 
as to the difficulties involved in the maintenance 
of the several works of mercy undertaken. As 
to St. Michael and All Angels', she says (in 
confidence) : 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 143 

"Most of the provisions consumed have 
been collected by myself. I spend nearly 
three half days in each week collecting food, 
and I assure you no butcher or baker gives 
with a particle of enthusiasm, although two 
or three are very kind. Often I go to as 
many as twenty before I get sufficient for 
one day ; and many a cold look I receive.'' 

On another occasion it is said: 

"I have to beg most of our table sup- 
plies, collecting with the aid of a push-cart, 
especially when a boy is available therefor, 
from store and stalls. Xo one has any idea 
how economically we have lived during the 
past year." 

(Discretion compels a breaking off of this, 
in its entirety, distressing story.) 
In another letter is said: 

"In our little paper, owing to the very 
meagre summary of expenditures for sup- 
port, there has been a report industriously 
circulated by some, that because we have 
expended so little the children have had 
insufficient food. The cruelty of such 
wicked gossip, all because of necessary fru- 



144 THE LIFE OF • 

gality, seems beyond human feeling — espe- 
cially when aid was so deficient." 
But one of the bright spots in memory was 
her recollection of the Guild of St. Michael and 
All Angels : 

"These ladies were members of several 
different parishes, all volunteers. The 
Guild was very effective, and perfectly de- 
voted to the work and to the children; I 
shall hold them in loving and grateful re- 
membrance." 

(It can be added here, this body has re- 
mained loyal and faithful to the House, and is 
to-day at work for it, after about twenty-five 
years of existence.) 

Under date of January 12, 1891, she wrote: 
"It is often hard to resist the painful 
pleading of poor mothers who cannot prop- 
erly care for these helpless little ones at 
home." 

A large proportion of the crippled children, 
she says elsewhere, have been rendered cripples 
from neglect during babyhood — a phase of this 
class not generally known. 

The far-reaching field of work is thus indi- 
cated : 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 145 

"To-day I received by express from At- 
lanta, Georgia, a little coloured girl. She 
is paralyzed and helpless, about six years 
old. The poor child was in a bad condition 
as to cleanliness. It was worth a good deal 
to see in the child's face the look of wonder 
and happiness, after she had been bathed 
and placed in her little white crib ; and later 
on, when a bowl of bread and niilk was 
brought to her, her eyes fairly sparkled, and 
her dear, sweet, black face seemed to smile 
all over it. It was radiant. The child in 
the crib next to her exclaimed, clapping her 
hands, 'Isn't she lovely!' " 

On one occasion a lady visited St. Michael 
and All Angels', accompanied by her Sunday 
School class, as was frequent with ladies so 
associated with parish work. Upon departing, 
she said to the Sister : "What can we do for 
the House ? I am poor, and so are my schol- 
ars.'' They were invited to give a crib. The 
following Easter the class presented it. To a 
further query, it was suggested to endow it. 
"How much is required V Three thousand 
dollars ! Standing apart, she answered, "Im- 
possible!" But she thought it over, and decided 



146 THE LIFE OF 

to make the effort. She worked, she wrote 
friends. At the end of three or four years this 
person was called to her rest, having almost com- 
pleted the sum, afterwards entirely supplied by 
friends, the crib being then endowed in memory 
of this faithful servant of God. 

An anecdote may be permitted here, in view 
of having refrained from this form of recital 
herein. Among the boys at St. Michael and 
All Angels', was one who had in some way been 
endowed with the name of Michael, not how- 
ever owing to an aerial intellect, whose duty, 
among others, was to answer the street bell. 
Upon one occasion, a young delivery man thrust 
a package at our attendant with the abrupt in- 
quiry, "Is this the House of Michael and the 
Angels ?" to which our parody responded, "Yes, 
and I am Michael." 

Sister Sarah could enjoy a humorous sally 
as much as any one ; but when such encroached 
upon a suspicion of irreverence, she could re- 
buke with a vigor that could never be forgotten, 
as, upon more than one occasion, the publisher 
of The Cripple Neivs received "a remem- 
brancer" for alluding to the kangaroo being in 
^Noah's Ark — a slip of the pen as to any lack of 
veneration for sacred things. 



ONE OF GODS SAINTS 147 

We are allowed to make some extracts from 
a letter addressed in January, 1909, to August, 
Pauline, Birdie, Nellie, Lula, and Nathan, 
children received many years ago. in a more or 
less distressed state by Sister Sarah in the 
earlier period of St. Giles, and who, fully re- 
stored, are now among its faithful pillars, liv- 
ing in that house as "Orderlies." This letter 
to them acknowledges some cards sent her at 
Christmas by these ever faithful children of 
her love: 

"It is pleasant to know that some of 
these inmates of St. Giles are now occupying 
responsible positions therein, and that they 
have the love and the confidence of the good 
House Mother, who certainly deserves all 
the help and comfort they can give her. 
Moreover, both the House Mother and her 
co-workers are co-workers with our own Re- 
deeming Lord. Is not this a blessed thought ? 
To be a co-worker with Christ is certainly 
a blessed privilege. Lulu was a sweet little 
girl when I left Brooklyn. I can hardly 
think of Nathan except as a pale, delicate, 
little boy. I am sure you all had a very 
happy Christmas. I would like very much 
to have been with you all. How wonderful 



148 THE LIFE OF 

it is that Christ should have laid aside His 
glory and left His kingly throne, and come 
down to this world as a helpless babe, so that 
He might redeem us, and impart His divine 
nature to our humanity. In taking our 
human nature, our Lord ( subjected Himself 
to all the limitations, the trials and the 
temptations of humanity.' Yet He passed 
through life, sinless. Thus He became our 
example. By His passion and precious 
death, He became our Redeemer; and, by 
His Resurrection, He has opened to us the 
gate of everlasting life. Though our Lord 
is now in heaven, that same Jesus that came 
to Bethlehem as a little child now comes 
to us — to you and to me in the Lloly Com- 
munion." 

From Christ Church Hospital at another 
time she wrote: 

"A wise Providence has placed me in 
this quiet, peaceful retreat for which I am 
thankful, knowing it is His will. I am also 
thankful that there remain to me oppor- 
tunities for self-denial, patience and self- 
control. Selfishness and a disregard for the 
comfort of others — for such conditions are 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 149 

to be found in every community — have al- 
ways excited my indignation; and I have 
found it difficult to temper indignation with 
perfect charity, in default of which it is 
evident that discipline is necessary." 

(The following was incidentally found 
among personal papers after the Sister's death, 
evidently kept for her own reference from time 
to time) : 

"Rules for Daily Life 

"Use daily the Church service, either 
in public or private. 

"Pray earnestly and constantly for all 
friends, relatives and loved ones, and for all 
who are tried and tempted. 

"Offer special prayers at mid-day for 
the advancement of Christ's Kingdom, for 
all missionaries, for all who labor in the 
gospel, and for the unity of all Christians. 

"Daily perform some act of self-denial, 
and render some act of kindness. 

"Strive earnestly and constantly to 
bring into subjection to the will of our 
Blessed Lord every thought and every im- 
agination of the heart. 



150 THE LIFE OF 

"Offer a prayer daily for the suffering. 
"Make self-examination daily, and learn 
if these rules have been strictly observed. 
"Philadelphia, 1890." 

The day succeeding Sister Sarah's funeral, 
her kinsman received a sealed communication 
that had been written and addressed some time 
previously, and had been handed to her most 
intimate companion and friend in the Hospital, 
to be retained for the time being and sent by 
post immediately after her death. It is as 
follows : 

"Christ Church Hospital, 
"Philadelphia. 
"My dear . . . 

"I have requested that these lines should 
be sent to you, when it shall please God to 
call me from this world. After a strenuous 
life, I find in Christ Church Hospital a 
happy and peaceful retreat. I feel as though 
I were 'drifting along under the very walls 
of Paradise.' I have often wished that I 
might die in harness, but God has been 
better to me than my desire. I have learned 
that seasons for introspection and medita- 
tion are indispensable to spiritual growth — 



OXE OF GOD'S SAINTS 151 

not only to spiritual growth but even to 
spiritual life. There are still a few of my 
notes remaining in my portfolio ; should 
you carry out the purpose with respect to 
papers now in your hands, these are at your 
disposal. My earnest request is, that there 
should be no eulogizing of the subject under 
consideration. Publish nothing but what 
may seem to be helpful to others, by stirring 
them to patience and perseverance, and to 
a perfect trust in God for all needful help 
in whatever work He may appoint for us to 
do. I have passed through various expe- 
riences, such as may come into the lives 
of others ; and in all the vicissitudes that 
have come to me, my invariable experience 
has been, 'Blessed are they that put their 
trust in God.' With respect to the work 
of St. Giles there need be only a bare ref- 
erence to its incipience. The work owes 
its recovery, and indeed its present exist- 
ence, to the noble woman who is now carry- 
ing it on — a fact fullv and generallv rec- 
ognized by friends. . . . The Reverend 
Harrison B. Wright knows and understands 
me better than any one living, and to him 



152 THE LIFE OF ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 

I owe a great debt of gratitude for the spir- 
itual help he has given me. 

"Lovingly and faithfully yours, 

"Sr. Sarah." 




Melrose Abbey 



AN AFTERMATH 

To dwell briefly upon certain facts in con- 
nection with the works of mercy that Sister 
Sarah began, and which progressed to, at least, 
a partial realization at her hands, and would no 
doubt in each case have reached a stage of 
greater fulness but for an attitude of indiffer- 
ence on the part of those who should at least 
have contributed in various ways to a successful 
solution, every one of which was a possibility, 
considering all circumstances affecting, it may 
be asked, Why was it that, in almost every in- 
stance, some of those upon whom she relied 
were so strangely found wanting in many re- 
spects that go to make up the true in sympathy ? 
Doubts about such a personality seem in some 
respects to be unthinkable as entailing the 
checking or suppressing of such progress. In 
many undertakings, these defects of human 
character not infrequently emerge to curtail or 
obliterate acts of personal faith, for earnest in- 
tentions are generally in everything unmis- 






154 THE LIFE OF 

takable. We shall deal in this principally with 
St. Giles the Cripple, Brooklyn. There were 
many onlookers who were sympathizers because 
religion gave them vision of the real purpose, 
and that fact was clearly recognized. A private 
letter is in existence, written March 20, 1896, 
after public announcement had been made of the 
purchase of 417 Clinton Street, Brooklyn (a 
house adjoining the first building), purchased 
for the purpose of necessary enlargement, writ- 
ten by the Most Rev. M. A. Corrigan, at that 
time Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York, 
and is the beautiful tribute of a Christian gen- 
tleman to Sister Sarah's work, congratulating 
the recipient upon its progress, and hoping that 
it may a be abundantly favoured by people of 
means, so that the poor cripples may soon have 
a new and permanent home." This was the 
only letter ever received in correspondence, that 
conveyed any words of clerical congratulation. 
Dr. Corrigan secured and read The Brooklyn 
Cripple News, and his expressions as to it were 
made upon more than one occasion. A synop- 
sis of the work of St. Giles', printed in its little 
paper, prepared for an occasion and not used, 
may be considered the most comprehensive sum- 
mary that can be given briefly. 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 155 

St. Giles the Cripple and Sister Sarah: We 
must regard these names as inseparable. Without 
the labours of its foundress, this House would 
never have existed. Where is the one who 
would have undertaken it under the then and 
ensuing conditions ? They must still go to- 
gether, joined as a watchword, if St. Giles' is to 
continue to exist and go forward. Without the 
standard and inspiration of her name it would 
drop into a mere sentimental vehicle of Charity, 
Medical and Surgical practice. 

What is the secret of the existence and prog- 
ress of the House of St. Giles the Cripple \ 
Sister Sarah was a religious woman in every 
sense, not in mere name. Hers was, in found- 
ing St. Giles, "an act of Faith" in its truest 
sense, and after twenty-one years, we can real- 
ize and comprehend it. She had implicit Faith 
in her God. 

Coming to a city where she was wholly un- 
known to assume responsibilities, from the 
standpoint of worldlings there was nothing to 
encourage, but everything to discourage. Like 
Festus who greeted St. Paul with the exclama- 
tion, "Thou art beside thyself," an Official of 
the State of New York addressed Sister Sarah 
at the outset when he learned of the assets of St. 



156 THE LIFE OF 

Giles : a few diseased crippled children of tender 
years (with plenty of other such in prospect), 
odds and ends of rejected furniture, bread that 
was daily secured through bakers' generosity, 
left-over soup and food fragments from one or 
more boarding houses ; all these collected by her- 
self, with a few dollars begged of the charity 
of strangers, to pay, for a brief period ahead, 
the House rent. These, and these only, formed 
the resources and subsistence for the work that 
has since comforted hundreds of the wretched, 
destitute and suffering that have been under its 
roof. This remark of the official to Sister, how- 
ever, like the curse of Balak, was a blessing, as 
it were, to her mind. We can well omit the 
many strange events which came to her at that 
time, the idle opinions and prophesies that wel- 
comed this work of mercy. And what a frigid 
atmosphere prevailed! Never for an instant 
did she think of doubting the One who watched 
over it. No, as it were, the more dismal the 
realities and prospects, the better, through her 
earnest prayers, did she see glimmerings of 
light which never ceased to flood her heart. 

Food means everything, and even this dim- 
inished at times. Then on her knees to her 
Heavenly Father in secret did she go, and never 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 157 

did He fail her. As to some events which oc- 
curred in its history, it is indeed a wonder to 
weaklings, at times almost miraculous, and 
which, if known, true as it is, would be put 
down as fabulous. The note of this work can 
be found in the seventy-second psalm, "He shall 
deliver the poor when he crieth, and the needy 
also, and him that hath no helper. He shall be 
favorable to the simple and needy, and shall 
preserve the souls of the poor. He shall deliver 
their souls from falsehood and wrong, and dear 
shall their blood be in His sight." 

And here we come to that day when the 
House in Brooklyn ceased to have, locally, that 
ever-open door which, from the day of its in- 
ception, had ever responded to all calls. We 
can turn to The Cripple News of December, 
1907, to incorporate three lines to bear out the 
record of its financial progress during three 
seasons — the first, second and twelfth, viz: 

Receipts from Jan. 30 to Sept, 30, 1896 

(9 Mos.) - - - ------ $67S.94 

Receipts from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, 1897 

(12 Mos.) 4,285.75 

Receipts from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, 1907 

(12 Mos.) 30,380.14 



158 THE LIFE OF 

The work was transferred to St. Giles-in- 
the-Fields during the month of March (1908), 
following the wholly unnecessary loss of the 
Brooklyn House, and marks two definite pe- 
riods which can show no better difference than 
by comparing the financial situation during the 
last year in Brooklyn, and that for the year of 
1912, through which it has just passed. This 
difference can well be contemplated with deep 
thought; but analyze it as you will, calmly and 
conscientiously, the reasons, can be compre- 
hended — namely, we are too far from our old 
supporting friends, and our actual field of 
labour. However, we can be thankful for two 
facts — the work was not abandoned, nor was it 
consolidated. Disassociation from any other 
interest is the only standard under which this 
work can exist. It must stand wholly upon its 
own merits. Courage, principle and faith must 
be the guiding thoughts alone, if we are to get 
back to what St. Giles the Cripple was in the 
past. 

Let us take a backward glance over the work 
with all its difficulties and poverty, and see 
what has actually been accomplished. 

We can say there have been sheltered and 
cared for, for varying lengths of time, nearly 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS L59 

a thousand destitute crippled children. Of 
this number, something over six hundred have 
been discharged, almost every one fully or par- 
tially restored, or improved and helped: forty- 
one have passed into the great beyond ; and we 
have now in the House seventy-six children, of 
whom ten are Orderlies. 

By Orderlies, we mean children, over six- 
teen, who can make themselves useful enough 
in the House to be, to a certain extent, self- 
supporting. These work in the laundry, the 
sewing room, in the Hospital department, and 
as caretakers wherever they are needed. 

Too much cannot be said of the value of 
these Orderlies : they are paid no regular wages, 
and the allowance they receive, the total sum, 
would no more than pay one competent person 
from outside. They fit in any place in which 
they are needed, and are always willing and 
more than glad to know that they can fill a place 
that would otherwise be taken by a normal per- 
son. It is not an exaggeration to say that, if 
it were not for these same girls and boys, the 
work of the House could not be done under 
its present financial conditions. They are thus 
fulfilling their duties as citizens by making it 



100 THE LIFE OF 

possible to care for others, as they were cared 
for. 

As we trace the six hundred or more that 
have gone from St. Giles with its stamp and 
influence upon them, we can find much to en- 
courage us, and much to act as an incentive to 
further our very best efforts. In getting a 
glimpse of what St. Giles' boys and girls are 
doing in the world, it is amazing to find that 
what seems to be an insurmountable handicap 
only serves to increase the determination to earn 
their own living. We have in mind one boy 
who is taking care of himself as a clerk, and 
going to business school at night. This boy is 
so badly paralyzed that, if he should be sep- 
arated from his crutch and cane, he would be as 
helpless as an infant. Another whose paralysis 
is even greater, for he cannot walk at all, has 
a chair caning and basket weaving shop. With 
this industry, which he learned at St. Giles, he 
is able to take care, not only of himself, but also 
make a home for his mother. 

Three of the lamest of our boys have news- 
stands in New York and Brooklyn. One boy, 
who is unable to use any of his joints (not 
even his arms), manages to sell papers enough 
to take care of himself, his mother and younger 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS I6J 

brothers and sisters. We can name seven girls 
who do domestic work in homes, and one who 
is a designer of children's dresses. 

One boy is a clerk in the Post Office; an- 
other away in the "Sunny South," has a laun- 
dry ; one is an insurance broker ; another a mes- 
senger in the Stock Exchange ; one is an Elec- 
trical Engineer; one in a printer's office; one 
in Dennison's establishment as a dyer ; one who 
wears two artificial legs is a sizer in a tile fac- 
tory; still another is a most valuable helper 
as 'Jack-of- all-trades.' 

Four of the children have been to High 
School; two boys being thoroughly competent 
stenographers now, and one girl being trained 
for a teacher. Two boys were given the advan- 
tage of Heffly's Business School. Taking all 
these widely different occupations into consid- 
eration, it seems that there is no field closed to 
cripples, any more than to any one else. 

Two boys and two girls have been adopted 
into fine families ; fifteen have married well, 
and one boy and one girl are about to be mar- 
ried. Could we give the space, each child's 
history would read like a fairy-tale, having for 
a moral a brave, winning fight against the ad- 



162 THE LIFE OF 

versities of physical deformities and direst 
poverty. 

We recall the skill and faithful work of our 
surgeons, and with it goes, as underlying all, 
the healing and culture of the soul in the faith 
of the Church, which is so essential to our 
progress. How many have been cured in mind, 
as well as of the ills of the body, to go out for- 
tified, to live new lives of health and strength, 
and to combat the evils of the world by the 
aid of the Church; while others have closed 
their eyes in the comfort that our religion 
brought. 

About us are many evidences, here and 
elsewhere, to emphasize a changed existence. 
This is what Sister Sarah worked for, sacrificed 
for, and which she, now in the eventide of life 
prays for with her God. These her children, 
as she considers them, will at the last day rise 
up and call her blessed. 'If I forget Thee, let 
my right hand forget her cunning.' And so 
St. Giles, in this .Faith, will live and progress 
to greater things." (November, 1912.) 

Then elsewhere to touch upon the religious 
life inculcated at St. Giles, from the same issue 
the following is also taken: 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 163 

"Bertha Charlotte Scott was baptized in 
our Oratory by the chaplain, Rev. AVallace 
J. Gardiner. Bertha's baptism had been 
delayed by the fact that her father was a 
Roman Catholic. Since his death, however, 
there could be no question about it, as it 
was the mother's request, and Bertha was 
made a child of God. 

"Harold Sylvester Buffin was also bap- 
tized at the same Evensong. This little 
fellow came to us from the Home for the 
Friendless, having neither kith nor kin, and 
we have waited four years to know whether 
any one would appear to establish his iden- 
tity. After this time, however, it would 
seem that we were justified in having him 
baptized and giving him the rights and 
privileges of the Church. 

"This baptism means a great deal to 
this little man, since, from being unclaimed, 
he now becomes possessed of a family and 
relations. He was pathetically pleased that 
the Kindergartner, Miss Clair, should be 
his Godmother and give to him her father's 
name. He has literally adopted her, calling 
her 'Mother,' following her around, writ- 



164 THE LIFE OF 

ing his weekly letters home to her, and al- 
ways consulting her about everything. 

"Perhaps nobody quite realized how the 
little fellow missed having 'folks/ until he 
too, becoming a child of God, became a child 
of people also." 

With all the causes affecting the work, the 
very successful efforts of good friends, persons 
of the highest integrity of purpose, will ever 
stand out in relief. The cost of the Garden 
City Summer Home (or St. Giles-in-the-Fields 
as it became known) was altogether raised by 
these friends, the sums secured enabling a prop- 
erty for summer sojourn to be purchased in 
1903. This leads to the facts as to the inaugu- 
ration of the step. Mrs. Thomas F. Goodrich, 
of Brooklyn, an earnest friend who came to 
know Sister Sarah, ever ready to aid in any 
way, upon the appeal of the House Mother, to 
secure money especially to enable the children 
to have a country outing for a longer or shorter 
length of time, about 1901, gave a concert at 
her mansion on Clinton Avenue, Brooklyn, at 
which several accomplished musicians per- 
performed. So successful was it that the sum 
of $1,377.76 was realized, only two or three 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 165 

hundred dollars thereof being expended for thai, 
summer's outing at Summit, New Jersey, for 
some weeks, the balance then being reserved and 
assigned by the Treasurer and put to interest 
towards a proposal to buy a Summer Home. 

Here may be jDroperly introduced this : — 
Those children who enter St. Giles, mostly born 
in Brooklyn and outlying boroughs, generally 
come into life under very humble conditions, 
some of extreme poverty, and some even under 
the degraded existence of abject tenement house 
and cellar life. Such naturally can, very rarely, 
have any knowledge of the country or its life, 
some never having in days gone by, before the 
summer home came into existence, even seen 
trees or green grass, other than perhaps a small 
public square in the vicinity of the Brooklyn 
institution. To such then in those days any 
glimpse of green fields and woods, or the fresh 
air of freedom obtained through an occasional 
outing only, was a wondrous thing, which when 
seen, . created a wild excitement, indescribable. 
To such a new world had dawned. 

Up to 1903, an occasional brief sojourn at 
some nearby country spot, or at the bungalows 
of the Children's Aid Society at Coney Island — 
generouslv and ever extending; its courtesies — 



100 THE LIFE OF 

was the limit of our possibilities, so that such 
delights were both rare and very vague of com- 
prehension. 

The sojourn at Summit, the first of its kind, 
gave the elder children an impress that speedily 
took practical form, quite unexpectedly to the 
authorities. The elder ones put their heads to- 
gether and "unbeknowns" to others than those 
concerned, called a mass meeting, selected a 
chairman and secretary, and proceeded to dis- 
cuss the wish for a Summer Home of their own. 
A petition was prepared, well put together, and 
signed by perhaps thirty, asking the "Fathers" 
(as the Trustees were known) to get them a 
place of refuge for the warm weather — their 
own. Those who led the movement, as well 
as the others, had been educated in the House, 
much to its credit; for this petition was well 
digested and very much to the point, and it is 
one of the precious possessions preserved in the 
archives. A Committee waited upon and pre- 
sented it to the House Mother, who became 
speechless for a time. When it reached the 
Trustees its effect was more impressive. It 
made one think of the King of Israel when 
Naaman presented himself to be healed of the 
leprosy, for the amazement was very great: a 



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axL tcr Jnlajj XuuQ ujrujlj Juut/ cut alh hvjrujlvujj xxbj \Mj iJn±i 
cLcrtruLi' OAixi) iirum; tni- janiA)h-AAKr-Ywnj xcouL xu>>. wuiyd Ax>e/ 
jxlauu Wli xao Wxut; xtnjruiouwJ ajncb xt qck^ctoou IyUj Whj 
(uvuJb AxrmsL-XjjvnjLt,) jusv cnsuvtro ad, a£ auocam) . Xaur Jtcnao muii 
*ux> hxnyu crui|u\iaj Jnjahx> lov cu dxuYwmsju 3icYruu,x>ve/vu. lAx; 
vuJt) cluixlruun) cuyvcL Jrcajuii). m^JK/xnKj avvuj. turv ixtujLSUcui.- 
oU; ot^jlL. XW ocTLuyilru. cUoltuId UxtuXcL i>o rv^ocfu nruxxru-cirnj 
tW cuamtraj Jumxnjti -juwv wavu acr cuauj cJIujciJua) asjo iyulcj^ 
.anxUYu u, l Jvi; ouwJb |Jxru>u\-w IruX juvu iku Jrurt alu cu cruj -&U0 
jitaruu %iczk&> curucl xutruxljuru ilatfuv ouyuL kxAuutu xkXj <XnJL> 
jjyu Iru-/ cJoj jukj xuoakj tcr Autfu <x> bxjab lacju oyu jll&> aJLL Xxu. 
iunruu IruX xuTVuri) ju>o a cr to" juu, (Lcrujnfruj -uX> cbu/afe raiXk. 
■cuud llujru .u>o att ojyicL .unil IsiX \oVLu coylcL J^u/ihxj xufuM 
juk. camju JrurvYuu/ <J JruautrL ca.0" rrocfMu Xcr Aouu aco. JUnJul cioac 
«cr aarrdUJlru. 



FACSIMILE OF 
THE CRIPPLES' HOPE" 






|u&U/yv <La urrni*.. 

Mj J) f) i_ ,AJ V 0« ■ 







FACSIMILE OF SIGNATURES TO 
"THE CRIPPLES - HOPE" 



OXE OF GOD'S SAINTS 167 

deliberate and distinct request to get for them 
a Summer Home, to be had for the asking! 
However it went right to the heart. 

This document became known as "The 
Cripple's Hope/' and has gone down into the 
history of the House. It was reproduced in 
facsimile, printed in The Cripple News, and 
then formed the basis of a story in booklet form 
under that title, involving the House, written 
by a friend and illustrated by the drawings of 
another friend, published and put in circula- 
tion, aiding materially in the general outcome 
of securing what these children longed for and 
naively pleaded to have given them. It came 
in due — in fact early — course. These children 
were so much in earnest, no doubt they would 
personally have undertaken the task themselves 
had it been necessary. 

The similarity in chirography of the signa- 
tures shows the concentration of following the 
copy. Each one signed his or her name. 

This episode served as a distinct stimulus 
to the scheme for the purchase of a Summer 
Home. It touched their kind benefactor, Mrs. 
Goodrich, and quickened her impulses, so that, 
later on, this Lady Bountiful secured sums from 
friends, finallv increasing the fund to several 



168 THE LIFE OF 

thousand dollars, with which the Garden City 
property was purchased early in 1903, a mort- 
gage being given for the balance, and since 
gradually paid off. 

The cost of the Garden City House was - - - $8,750.00 

OF THIS 

Secured by Mrs. Thos. F. Goodrich - $5,453.66 

Secured by Associates of St. Giles - 1,921.55 

Given by various individuals - - - 294.20 

Through Treasurer's direct appeals (2) 2,042.70 



$9,712.11 

Of which paid on account 
and on reduction of mort- 
gage $6,950.00 

On account of repairs and 

improvements - - - 962.11 7,912.11 



December 31, 1907 $1,800.00 

Upon leaving St. Giles, Sister Sarah thus 
expressed herself: 

"Miss Morgan is admirably calculated 
to carry on the work. When she shall lay 
it down, I hope and fully believe it will 
pass into the hands of a Community. This 
only can secure to it the chief object for 
which it was called into existence : the spir- 
itual well-being of the most helpless of our 
Blessed Lord's little ones. Their physical 




ST. GILES-IN-THE-FIELDS, GARDEN CITY. L. I. 

Summer Home of House of St. Giles the Cripple, Brooklyn 
Showing the Wayside Cross, 1003 



The Wayside Cross here illustrated rises from a grassy 
hillock in a bed of daisies surrounded by a circle of brilliant 
red geraniums, and is of natural timber, seven feet in height. 
It is a reproduction of those used in centuries long past and 
yet to be seen frequently in foreign lands. 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 169 

good comes next in order. I trust the Trus- 
tees are sufficiently good Churchmen to see 
to this, and to this idea. . . . The children 
of the house need the example and instruc- 
tion of the Christlike life existing in com- 
munities. The quiet and order of such a 
house are not to be found outside of com- 
munities." 

General substantial bequests have been in- 
vested; one of $10,000, without any condition 
whatever, from a member of the Church of the 
Pilgrims, Brooklyn, the Society of which Rev. 
Dr. R. M. Storrs had been Pastor for many 
years, a Mrs. Polhemus, the founder of the 
Long Island Hospital Clinic, a reader, as we 
have learned, of The Cripple News; then Mr. 
David C. Townsend (of Trinity Parish, New 
York) and Miss Jane Thayer (of Grace 
Church, Brooklyn) endowed, by indentures, 
beds; while the children of St. Giles undertook 
to raise the sum required for another to the 
memory of Sister Sarah, and soon secured half 
the required amount. Mrs. Somarindyck of 
St. Paul's, Glen Cove, gave $2,500 for a new 
operating room when such shall be constructed, 
the income supporting a bed in the meantime. 



170 THE LIFE OF 

At the benediction of St. Giles-in-the-Fields 
upon the eve of Pentecost, 1903, by the Bishop 
of the Diocese, a Wayside Cross (the first of 
the kind seen in this land), erected at the en- 
trance to the grounds as a thank offering for 
a great deliverance, was solemnly blessed after 
being unveiled by Sister Sarah, her only visit 
to the Summer Home and her last to St. Giles. 
An illustration of this cross has been placed 
upon the front cover of this volume. 

The following is the inscription in the Hall 
at St. Giles-in-the-Fields: 

HOUSE OF ST. GILES THE CRIPPLE 

Brooklyn, N. Y. 
Founded A. D. 1891 by Sister Sarah. 

THIS SUMMER HOME FOR THE REST AND 
RECREATION OF ITS CRIPPLED CHILDREN, THE 
GIFT OF MANY GENEROUS FRIENDS, SECURED 
BY THE EXERTIONS OF ELIZABETH R. GOOD- 
RICH, WAS OPENED AND BLESSED THIS EVE OF 
PENTECOST, A. D. 1903, BY THE RIGHT REV- 
EREND, THE BISHOP OF LONG ISLAND 

"As well for the Body as the Soul." 

The official seals of the two Houses, 
adopted in due order, can thus be described. 
That of St. Michael and All Angels shows the 
great Archangel destroying the evil one as de- 
scribed in the Book of the Revelation of St. 




ST. GILES-IN-THE-FIELDS, GARDEN CITY. L. I. 

Summer Home of House of St. Giles the Cripple, Brooklyn, 

with its herd of cows, 1903. View looking south. 



ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 171 

John the Divine. That of St. Giles shows above 
all, the Blessed Sacrament, having the nimbus 
of Deity. ("And I, if I be lifted up, will draw 
all men unto me"). Below, in the quatre-foil, 
is our Blessed Lord, restoring the sick of the 
palsy, whose friends have let him down through 
the roof of the house. (St. Markii. 4, 5, 9, 10). 
At the lower part is shown the patron Saint 
with his symbol. 



Sister Sarah as we know was very human. 
She recognized the right of the lower order or 
dumb animals to enjoy, not only their existence, 
to be protected and not abused or ruthlessly 
destroyed; but to be treated with kindness and 
consideration as their Maker intended, and not 
as the world of "sport" follows in many forms 
of shameful savagery, or so-called civilization 
tolerates, and even encourages, in those acts of 
barbarity termed scientific research. 

She was imbued with artistic talents that 
largely remained latent. Without ever having 
had professional instruction, she was yet ac- 
complished in crayon drawing that was beyond 
ordinary criticism. In the reception room of 
St. Giles hangs a speaking likeness of herself, 
life sized, made by her at the urgent request 



172 THE LIFE OF OXE OF GOD'S SAINTS 

of a near relative, reproduced from a cabinet 
photograph, and executed by actual candlelight 
in the very early hours of the day, before the 
time of duty began. After her retirement, this 
picture was framed and presented to the In- 
stitution, a perpetual reminder of her great per- 
sonality. She regarded colors as God's own 
gifts to be delighted in, and the exercise of the 
legitimate pleasures of childhood, a natural out- 
come of health and good training. 

"0 ye Spirits and Souls of the righteous, 
bless ye the Lord, praise Him and magnify 
Him forever." 




POSTSCRIPT 

The publication of this volume was proposed 
a few years ago by the friends of Sister Sarah. 
In the period elapsing before its preparation 
was taken up, many of these friends had passed 
away, rendering its completion, as a practical 
undertaking by advance subscriptions, a prob- 
lem both of uncertainty and delay. 

Whilst a final decision as to abandoning the 
work was under consideration, God in His in- 
finite wisdom took to Himself the soul of a 
cousin — once removed — Grace Lillington Kirke, 
who fell asleep November 5th, 1914, after a 
brief life of purity and great faithfulness to 
the Church. After her departure it was real- 
ized she had put aside, as an undesignated re- 
serve from her resources — above her regular 
round of periodical gifts to various objects — 
a sum sufficient to assure the deficiency as it 
stood in the cost of publication of this book. 
Her parents, aware of her hope for its com- 
pletion (under the subscriptions of friends), 



174 THE LIFE OF ONE OF GOD'S SAINTS 

that the good example of Sister Sarah might 
be an emulation to others, determined to make 
good from this source the deficiency in re- 
sponses, thus enabling the story of Sister 
Sarah's life and sacrifices to go out. 

The publication of this book is therefore 
secured to its readers with the hope that others 
may be enabled to realize the inwardness of a 
life hidden with Christ in God. 

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, 
Et lux perpetua luceat eis. 



'Far, far away, like bells at evening pealing, 
The voice of Jesus sounds o'er land and sea. 



Angels of Jesus, 

Angels of light, 
Singing to welcome 

The pilgrims of the night.' 3 



